Back to the Furture
by Star0Dragon0Slayer
Summary: "What the actual fuck?" Katsuki growled, looking - glaring - at the number four Pro Hero. "Is this," he said pointing to the leech currently clinging to his leg with distaste "why you called me back mid-patrol?" Best Jeanist didn't have a chance to answer before Katsuki was shaking his leg, "Let go." The girl only clutched his leg harder. "And why the fuck is she calling me daddy?"
1. Foreign Affection

**To be cross posted on my A03 account. **

**Hope you all enjoy! This is my first ever (posted) My Hero Academia fic so I'm excited to hear what you all think!**

Katsuki heard it before he saw it. The moment the elevator doors cracked open, a deafening shriek assaulted his ears, immediately putting him on guard. As fast as he was reacting to the potential threat, he wasn't fast enough. He stumbled in shock as a small weight collided with his leg, his knee jerk reaction telling him to blast whatever was touching him to hell. His hands began to smoke, the telltale sign of a coming explosion on the tips of his fingers, ready. Then it was gone as fast as it came when he heard the familiar whine of a child. Looking down Katsuki was greeted with the sight of a little girl clinging to his leg as if he were a lifeline.

"What the-" he stopped mid-sentence as he took in the kids' appearance. Her ash blonde hair that was up in messy pigtails was covered in dust and what looked to be debris and her red flowery overalls and gray long sleeve were covered in dirt. Brat looked like she crawled out of a collapsed building. Tears and snot ran down her face which she unabashedly wiped all over his leg, soiling his hero costume with the disgustingness that was children. "Oi, get off me, kid!" Katsuki said pushing the brats' head away from him, her - shockingly familiar green eyes grew wide and he looked up just in time to see Best Jeanist enter the room, giving Katsuki a strange look.

"Daddy!" She wailed, hiding behind him and shoving her face back into his leg, her chubby and filthy hands fisting his black pants. "Daddy help me! Don't let him take me!"

"What the _actual_ fuck?" Katsuki growled, looking - _glaring -_ up at the number four Pro Hero expectantly. "Is _this_," he said pointing to the leech currently clinging to his leg with distaste "why you called me back mid-patrol?" Best Jeanist didn't even have the chance to answer before Katsuki was shaking his leg, "Let _go._" he said sharply, the girl only clutched him harder. "And why the fuck is she calling me _daddy_?" Of all the reasons why he could have been called back to the agency he was interning at, this one made the least sense. Why the _ever-loving fuck_ did the Pro Hero actually think he had a kid? He was seventeen for fuck's sake.

"It is. As for why she believes you are her father, I thought you could shine some light on the subject." Best Jeanist said, he didn't sound as concerned as he fucking should have and it was grating on Katsuki's nerves. His gloved hands were fisted at his side, heavy gauntlets weighing them down as he awkwardly repositioned his arms so he wouldn't hit the girl in the head with the hard material. How fucking great that would be for his hero career if he accidentally knocked her out. He could just hear the reporter: _Supposed __Hero Ground Zero knocked a terrified little girl unconscious when she asked him for help. Is he really a Hero? _Yeah, fucking right, he wasn't a villain no matter how people tried to make him out to be.

"I don't know shit. Why don't you ask the brat?" The trembling girl stuck to him was quite frankly making him nervous. He didn't know how to deal with children, especially when they were crying. He was working on it, and he was doing better, he didn't make the brats that talked to him on the streets cry anymore. Though people wouldn't say that was progress, it was a given. Heroes don't make children cry and shit, he knew that hence; _working on it. _

Best Jeanist sighed, "We tried several times before you got here. She won't answer us." Sounded like a load of shit to him.

"Then how the fuck did you know to call me?" He was starting to lose the semblance of patience he had started with, which was next to nothing. First, they say she told them her father was apparently him, then the next she wasn't fucking answering?

"The agency got a call from the local flower shop, she just appeared out of thin air covered in dirt and crying for her parents. When the shop keeper asked who her father was, she said his name was Bakugou Katsuki." Katsuki scowled and looked down at the kid. Didn't they think for a second she could be lying?

"What's your name, brat? And stop crying!" Katsuki snapped, his voice in the same deep growl as always, but the girl didn't even flinch as she looked up at him - that was a good sign, right? Her lips pulled into a pout and her emerald eyes glistened. Something was eerily familiar about the dirt, tears, and snot all over her face.

"Daddy? You know who I am! Oh no... Did you forget?" Her voice wavered and her lower lip wobbled, but she continued. "I'm Bakugou Kana! Your daughter! Remember daddy?" Katsuki just stared at her.

And stared.

And stared.

Then he picked the girl up under her arms, watching out for his gauntlets as he did and held her awkwardly at arm's length. The ash-blond hair in pigtails on her head was the exact same shade as his, but instead of the unruly spikes, she had curls. The more he looked at her, the more he could see the resemblance between them, it wasn't all that much, but it was there.

"The fuck- How old are you?"

"Four." she chirped. Her fear of abduction was seemingly forgotten along with her tears the moment he plucked her off the ground. How the fuck was she comforted by the way he was holding her in the air? And with his extremely dangerous gauntlets right in her face? Her happy expression contrasted with her red-rimmed eyes and tear-stained face. It was weird as fuck.

"I believe this was a sort of time fluctuation quirk. She's your daughter from the future." the Pro Hero standing behind him said.

"Fuck that shit is _impossible." _

That meant he would have had to... with a _girl_.

He wasn't even straight for fuck's sake.

"Not as impossible as you might think. Time quirks similar have been spotted throughout the world." Best Jeanist interjected, he looked like he was going to speak again, but the little girl - _Kana, _spoke first.

"Why are you being so weird, daddy?" She asked, tilting her chin to the side, "Is it because you miss papa? It's okay, daddy. I miss papa too! We can go find him. I don't know where he went, but it'll make you happy to see papa again!" She said confidently even though she awkwardly hung in the air by his hands. But that wasn't what he was focused on, no he didn't care about how she confidently said he would be happy, no he didn't have the capacity to feel anger over the mortifying embarrassment that flooded his senses.

Papa.

Fucking _Papa_.

This was not how he imagined coming out of the closet. He _didn't _imagine coming out at all, but here his supposed daughter all but kicked him out for the world to see. And by the world, he meant Best Jeanist. The only person that knew was fucking _Kirishima _and that wasn't by choice, the fucker was more perceptive than he looked. He didn't just guess, he knew who it was, too. Fortunately, he promised to keep it to himself after saying how manly it was that he liked that _someone_ and spouting some bro code bullshit - Katsuki's death threats aside.

"Oh." Is all the number four hero said,

Oh was fucking right.

Katsuki froze and simultaneously dropped her before he could even process what he was doing. Immediately realizing his mistake, his hands shot out to catch her, but she landed with more grace than some of the girls in his class despite being dropped from his height without warning. If he was being honest it was pretty fucking impressive. Katsuki dropped to his knees, staring at her not knowing what to do. "Shit, are you okay- I didn't mean-" He stumbled over his words as he tried to find the right thing to say, guilt seeping into him from every pore.

"It's okay, daddy." She said sweetly, then "You're not a villain are you?" Kana asked turning to the pro hero, eyeing him skeptically. Her eyebrows were furrowed and her lips were pursed together as she looked him up and down.

"No. I am the pro hero Best Jeanist."

"Oh," she said before quickly bowing low at the waist. "I'm sorry for screaming at you and calling you a villain. Thank you for finding my daddy." She stood up straight and smiled brightly. A complete one-eighty from the suspicious look she was just giving him.

"It's alright. Now excuse me while I make a call to Aizawa, he'll need to be informed. As for your _secret,_ Bakugou, it's safe with me. If you don't want anyone to know, that's your choice."

"Uh, right?" Then Best Jeanist walked away, leaving him alone with Kana. In which he stared at in wonder. She was so polite, it was nothing short of amazing. Who knew a child of the explosive Bakugou Katsuki could ever be that nice. This had to be some kind of mistake, right? She looked like him, but there was no way she was actually blood-related to both him and her _papa_.

"Are you okay, daddy? You look sick. Are you still worried about dropping me? It's okay because I forgive you. I know you didn't mean to." Before he knew it, she had her chubby, grubby little hands on both of his cheeks, and kissing his nose. "Do you feel better now? Papa's kisses always make me feel better." her emerald eyes searching his crimson ones. Heat crept up his face, his heart hammered in his chest and he fell backward, landing roughly on his ass. He couldn't even yell at her for invading his personal space again, because his chest felt _warm_ goddamn it.

Kana reached forward in what looked like a hug but he caught her face in his hand, effectively stopping her. "Uwah!" she cried into his palm.

"I- I'm not your dad, kid. There's been a mistake. You should- how do you even _exist_?" He said again because there was no way that she was telling the truth.

Kana stopped pushing against his hand and looked at him, confusion swirling in her big green eyes. "Yes, you are. Daddy Katsuki Bakugou, number two hero Ground Zero! That's you, isn't it? But... but, you look smaller. When did you shrink?"

"Shrink? I didn't fucking shrink... How old am I?"

"Twenty-eight!" she piped, matter of factly.

"I'm seventeen." he deadpanned. He was still trying to process what the hell she was talking about. Best Jeanist had said she came from the future, but he still couldn't believe it. It made no fucking sense that he, Bakugou Katsuki had a kid in the future. A daughter no less.

"Oh. You're still little like me."

Before Katsuki could say anything else - more like deny any and everything - Best Jeanist came back.

_I'm not that fucking small, brat _he thought.

"I've contacted Aizawa, you have permission to bring her back to UA with you until we figure out how to fix the problem or in other words send her back to the future. You're dismissed from patrol, missing a few hours on your last day won't hurt."

Katsuki grumbled and stood up, knowing full well he couldn't argue with the top four Hero without some kind of backlash and frankly he was too lost trying to wrap his head around the whole thing to care anymore. "Let's go," he said, hitting the elevator button by his head before standing up.

"Here." Best Jeanist said tossing a small object to him. He caught it easily in his hand, it was a small pin. When he turned it around he was shocked at seeing the orange X mark across a back background and _Ground Zero_ printed at the bottom. He wasn't even a Pro Hero yet. There was no way that button should exist. Unless it really was from the future.

He stepped into the elevator while still staring at the pin and Kana stood uncharacteristically silent beside him as they descended. He almost forgot she was there until he felt her hand slip into his. His head whipped down to see her grinning at him with a bright smile and he couldn't fucking pull his hand away. How could she touch his _very _explosive hands without any fear like nearly everyone else? Seriously...

They walked down the busy streets hand in hand, him glaring at any and everyone that looked his way. Without noticing he started to walk faster, hoping to get to the private grounds of UA quickly and out of the eye of the public. He had enough to deal with at the moment, he didn't need people to make a spectacle of it.

"Daddy...?" Kana began to say, "Uwah!" She yelped as she tripped.

"Shit!"

Katsuki caught her before she hit the ground and lifted her up where she immediately wrapped her arms around him and buried her face into the crook of his neck. He froze for the second time before he awkwardly placed his arms around her so she wouldn't fall. He started walking again, his feet moving robotically to the train station. He wanted to pull her away and put her back on the sidewalk where she could walk on her own, but his arms wouldn't _move_. The closeness, the affectionate touches were foreign to him and it made him uncomfortable, so why the hell couldn't he let go?

She was silent for a while before she hugged him tighter, "I think I understand now..." she mumbled tiredly, nuzzling her nose into him and taking a shaky breath, "You're not the daddy I know yet, but I-" yawn, "still love you no matter what." then she was asleep.

* * *

When Katsuki finally made it back to UA, Aizawa was waiting for him at the front of the building. He felt immediate relief, he could finally drop her off with the Pro Hero and go back to his dorm, yet his arms unconsciously tightened around his future daughter's sleeping form. Aizawa looked almost amused the closer he got, making him scowl at his homeroom teacher. At least Best Jeanist explained the situation so he wouldn't have to. "What the hell are you looking at?" Katsuki snapped.

Aizawa shrugged and he swore he saw the ghost of a smirk on his teacher's face. "Why is she so filthy?" Aizawa asked bluntly, and Katsuki was glad the older man didn't voice his obvious amusement, but he wasn't expecting that question.

"I don't fucking know," he said, realizing he never thought much of her obvious disarray other than thinking of how gross children were. What? She was a snotty, grubby mess and rubbing it all over his pant leg, of course, that's was he was thinking.

"You didn't ask?" Aizawa said, making him feel stupid for not asking an obviously important question. One like... _How the hell did you get here?_ for instance.

"I had more important things to figure out," Katsuki grumbled defensively. He made a mental note to ask the brat another time.

"Right." Is all Aizawa said, though Katsuki had a feeling he didn't actually believe him, it wasn't as if he was lying. He was busy trying to process the fact that this girl, Kana was his future daughter.

He gently unwrapped Kana's arms from around his neck and began to hand the girl to Aizawa when she began to stir awake. The older man began to rub her back in order to coax her back to sleep but she woke anyway.

"Daddy?" she asked, lifting her head from Aizawa's shoulder to look at him. Kana froze, and Katsuki couldn't see her face, but from the way, Aizawa's softened he assumed it wasn't good. "Your daddy has to go, I'll be looking after you for a little bit until we can send you home, okay?" His voice was abnormally soft, it was strange for Katsuki to hear. Kana shook her head, it was almost unnoticeable at first, "No-" She whispered, her voice breaking "No, no, no, no, no! Daddy! Where are you!" She frantically looked around until she saw him standing a few feet away. "Daddy?" she asked, tears flowing down her face already as she stared at him with a pleading look. Her arms reaching out for him. He took a step back. "Where are you going? Why are you leaving?"

Katsuki set his jaw, trying to keep his face neutral as he looked at her terrified and confused one. Why the hell wouldn't his feet move? He couldn't do anything for her, it was better for the pro to keep her while they figured out how to send her back to her own time. There was no reason for him to stay, not really right? Just go already.

"Daddy? Pl-please don't g-go. I wanna stay w-with you! I don't c-care if yo-you're not my daddy yet!" she said, her trembling arms reaching further. Her lips were trembling as snot leaked from her nose and she didn't even try to wipe it off. His chest tightened at the sight, but he didn't know why.

_Go! You're making this fucking harder for her. She'll be fine after. She knows you're not the father she knows. _

_"You're not the daddy I know yet. but I-"_

Why the fuck was this so hard?

_"Still love you no matter what."_

"Bakugou?"

Before he realized what he was doing, his own arm moved, fingers reaching for her, and before he could stop himself he took two long steps and the next thing he knew, Kana was trembling against his chest and sobbing into his neck. "S'okay now." He murmured into her hair. "I'll- I'll keep her with me in my dorm room," he grumbled, turning away from Aizawa, completely missing the smile that overtook his teachers face.

"Are you sure?" The older man asked with no real conviction. "Taking care of a child is a lot of responsibility."

A beat of silence.

"Yeah."

After a second Katsuki began to walk back to the Heights Alliance. The walk was silent save for the repeated sniffles in his ear which he really couldn't complain about since it was his fault in the first place. But he did anyway. They were just stepping into the empty dorm when he finally spoke up.

"Are you done yet?" He asked, trying his best to not sound so threatening, it was safe to say it didn't work, but she didn't react negatively, surprisingly.

"Yes. I'm sorry, daddy," she said softly, sniffling again.

"Tch. You don't need to apologize for shit," She was starting to sound like Deku with all her muttering and crying...

"Okay. Are we going home now? I miss Papa." she mumbled, "He disappeared from the flower shop."

"Who's your, uh, papa...?" he asked hesitantly.

She looked at him in confusion and did that stupidly adorable head tilt. _Adorable?_ The fuck-? "Papa? Oh, yeah, you don't remember, 'cause you're still little. Papa is Bakugou Izuku, number one hero, Deku."

Katsuki nearly tripped over the threshold. How the fuck didn't he see it before? Her muttering, emerald eyes, her goddamn brighter than the sun smile and over the top crying. His face burned red and he was glad no one was around to see him. He was married to fucking Izuku in the future, they had a kid _together. _Kana was a quirk baby, made from his and Deku's genes. It all made perfect fucking sense now_._ He actually got together with Izuku in the future... He set Kana down and began walking towards the elevator, his heart hammered in his chest and his face felt _hot _as he desperately searched for something to distract him. "Come on," he called after a moment. "You need a fucking bath."

"Okay," she said, slipping her hand into his. Once again, he couldn't pull his hand away even if he wanted to. "Where are we, daddy?"

"At the school dorms. I'm still only seventeen, remember?" he answered, glad she was done asking about Deku. He was fucking exhausted and he had barely done anything all day.

"Oh, yeah. I remember."

After gathering his shower supplies from his room he stood in the front of the boy's bathroom with a red-faced grimace. "I don't suppose you can wash yourself and shit?" he asked.

Kana shook her head, "Daddy or Papa always help me. Why? Is that bad?"

"Uh, I guess not," he said, pushing the door open. Kana followed him in and Katsuki slammed a sticky note to the door before closing it. Just in case any if those extras got back before they were done.

It read: _Any of you sick fuckers come in here and you're dead._

* * *

"Put this on." Katsuki said, tossing her one of his shirts out of his bag. He wasn't going to let her put those grubby overalls back on after a bath. Tch. Absolutely not.

"Uh, Daddy?"

"What?" he said turning around. He still wasn't used to hearing her call him_ daddy _and he didn't think he was going to get used to it no matter how many times she said it.

"I don't think this is how it's 'posed to be."

Katsuki snorted when he saw her head halfway through the sleeve and her arm through the hole her head was supposed to be. "You dork, that's where your arm is supposed to go." He helped her shift the shirt until her arms and head were in their designated place. "There." the shirt was long enough that her toes barely peeked out from the bottom. Whatever. It was basically a nightgown.

"Thanks, Daddy's amazing!" he snorted again. Now _that_ sounded like Deku.

"Fuck yeah, I am," he smirked at her. Kana smiled back, but then tears pricked the corners of her emerald eyes and she started crying. His eyes widened in alarm. "Shit- what's wrong now? What the fuck did I do?" he asked, dropping to his knees, trying to remember if he did anything that upset her. Were all children so fucking emotional all the time?

Kana shot forward and hugged him before he could stop her, "You smiled." she sobbed, clinging to the front of his shirt. "You didn't smile all-day, I thought I made you angry with me!" she wailed into his ear. It probably would have bothered any other person, but his ears were so used to the deafening sound of his explosions that he didn't even care.

He rubbed her head awkwardly, her hair was still wet from washing it but he didn't care. She smelt like honey from the shampoo he used on her, like Deku. His face reddened at the thought, of course, she fucking did, he used the green-haired boys' shampoo out of his small locker because there was no way he was going to use his old spice one on her. "I'm uh, not mad at you," he said after an awkward cough. He was getting sidetracked from the current issue.

"You're not?" she whispered into his shoulder.

"No."

"I'm so glad!" she said, pulling away and smiling at him - she was giving him whiplash with these mood swings of hers. Kana's face was inches away from his and that's when he saw them, tiny specks of sandy brown dusted across her face like stars.

Fucking _freckles. _

Of course, she got them, too. Deku was covered in them. They weren't as prominent as Deku's, but they were still there, reminding him of stars against her milky skin. His hand reached forward to wipe the tears away with the pad of his thumb, but he ripped his hand away as soon as he realized what he was doing.

_What the hell__?_

Children were annoying little brats and she wasn't so bad, but he had no fucking clue how to act with her or how to treat her. Maybe his future self did but he certainly fucking didn't.

"We're going," he said standing abruptly and tossing his bag over his shoulder.

It was weird being the only one in the dorms, save for Kana. It was quiet, kind of peaceful even. He threw his bag haphazardly on his bed and grabbed a comb and shoved it in his pocket before leaving again. Kana followed him silently, seemingly distracted by the unfamiliar surroundings. Katsuki looked down at her curiously. Her ash blonde hair reached her waist when it was wet and swung gently as she walked. He wouldn't have guessed she had such long hair when he saw it dry in her pigtails. The curls obviously hid how long her hair really was and she was only four.

When they reached the common room, Katsuki took the towel that hung around his neck and threw it on top of her head. "Dry your hair before you catch a cold." He grumbled dropping himself onto one of the couches. He eyed Kana, who was staring at the towel in her hand with a pout. Katsuki rolled his eyes. "Come here." Why did he think she could do it herself. Children... so goddamn needy.

Kana beamed, ran over and crawled into his lap and started bouncing happily. Katsuki took the towel and started alternating between patting her hair dry and running his fingers through it. It was really fucking soft. As her hair dried it began knotting up easier when her bouncy curls came back, he absently pulled the comb out of his pocket and ran it through her hair over and over again even after he was finished. She didn't complain and even hummed happily, but he barely registered what he was doing. He would comb it only to watch in mild fascination when it bounced back to its original state.

"Daddy?"

"Mm."

"I'm hungry. Can we eat?"

"Fuck, I forgot." Right. They needed to eat. Katsuki lifted her off his lap and headed towards the kitchen, only glancing back once to make sure she was following. "Like curry?" he asked while searching the fridge.

"I love curry! Daddy's curry is the best!" She said happily.

He smirked, "Damn right, it is." Kana giggled.

Katsuki sat her on the counter and she swung her feet while he prepared their dinner in which she was in charge of stirring. They washed, peeled and cut all the vegetables and chicken, mixing it together in the pot. Just before he was going to add the spices, he looked at Kana and put them off to the side to add to his own bowl later. Half an hour later they were seated at the table with bowls of hot curry.

"Can you put the spices on mine?" She asked after a bite.

Katsuki raised an eyebrow, "You sure?"

Kana rolled her eyes and it was the first time he saw her with an expression that looked like him, "Of course! Only papa doesn't have spices, cause he can't handle 'em" she finished with a grin.

Katsuki snorted and smirked, this was more like it. "Yeah, kid. Knock yourself out," he said passing her the bottle. His grin widened when he saw her put just as much in her bowl as he did and bite into it, a smile spreading across her face.

"Yummy!" she squealed.

"Heh, bet you gave future Deku a heart attack doing that," he teased.

She giggled and looked at him with shining emeralds eyes, "Papa cried, he said his mouth burned just watching me. I don't know why papa doesn't like it, it's so yummy!" then she took another bite. He smirked, must have been quite a sight, but he couldn't say he was really surprised. Deku could never handle spicy things.

"Is papa gonna be back soon? I remember papa lives at school, too!"

Katsuki nearly choked, he didn't even think about Deku finding out _their_ daughter somehow winded up in this timeline from almost eleven years in the future. He didn't even consider it. How the hell would he react? Katsuki pushed the thought away for the time being in favor of actually eating his dinner and not suffocating on it.

"I, uh, don't know."

"I miss him..." she mumbled.

When they finished dinner, Katsuki washed the dishes and went back to the common room and laid down on the couch before turning the Tv on. She could watch movies until the others showed up and he took her upstairs. He didn't want to be around those nosy extras when they came back and started asking annoying questions. They were shit at minding their own business. Not to mention he didn't care to hear what they had to say about the fact he had a daughter in the future, especially who it was with... Yeah, maybe it would be best not to tell Deku at all. It would just be easier that way, it wasn't because he didn't want to tell shitty Deku that he was, you know... In love with him and he only just realized. Pfft. Not at all... heh... He wasn't fucking ready for that at all, even if they were together in the future.

While he wasn't paying attention, Kana crawled over of him, settled herself between him and the backrest of the couch and rested her chin on her folded arms that were crossed over his chest.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" Katsuki stared at her with a raised brow. She had no problem doing whatever she pleased around him, did she? Even when he swore and yelled around her, she didn't seem to have a problem with it at all. He fucking dropped her from his height and she landed like it was nothing - he still felt guilty about that, she showered him with hugs and kisses without worrying about invading his space even with his tough and mean exterior. Like she knew something he didn't and she probably did. He couldn't help but wonder what kind of person he was in the future; if he became the kind of person he was trying to be, someone that could be depended on; if someone _made_ him be the kind of person this little girl could love so unconditionally...

"What does it look like? I'm just getting comfortable." and then she looked at him with an expression that screamed: innocent and snuggled in closer, but he knew better than that. Anyone else would've been fooled, but he was used to the look from Deku already.

"You cheeky shit." Katsuki said, but then he smirked, of course, she had that little manipulative side.

"Just like my daddy!" she chirped with a smirk of her own.

Katsuki scoffed lightly in good humor. "Heh, whatever, kid," he said shutting his eyes, but he couldn't wipe the pleased look off his face. "Keep it down, will ya?"

She hummed in response, settling down to watch the All Might documentary playing on the Tv. He didn't notice when the sound started to fade as he fell asleep, his exhaustion overriding any concern he had about sleeping in the common room. He was too comfortable. Just for a moment... he'd rest his eyes...

Just a moment...

Then he was out.


	2. Primal Instinct

"Daddy!"

Katsuki bolted upright when a pair of little hands shook his arm, his heart began hammering against his ribcage from his abrupt awakening. He took in the unfamiliar surroundings with tired eyes before blinking rapidly, "What the hell?" he groaned in confusion. Looking around again, he realized he was still in the common room and not his own. "So much for not falling asleep," Katsuki grumbled, dragging a hand down his face and falling back onto the sofa he was just sleeping on. He closed his crimson eyes and took a deep breath, trying to settle his erratic heart rate. The small hands were still wrapped around his bicep lightly, but it didn't feel like an urgent action so he just waited patiently (because Katsuki had the patience of a saint thank you very fucking much) for her to speak up. If she had something to say, he could count on her to say it if being Deku's kid meant anything. God knew he would say it, intentional or not.

"Daddy, I think someone's here," Kana whispered, her tone low and unsure.

Crimson eyes snapped open wide as he flew off the couch before he could even think. This wasn't good. Not fucking good at all. He wasn't fucking ready to put Kana up for a show and tell session with his nosy classmates. Not that she would have a hard time talking, (she would probably have a harder time shutting up but that was beside the point) it was that Katsuki didn't want to be present when they inevitably found out who she was. He _could_ try to play her off as his sister, but that plan could go south for a number of reasons if her calling him daddy was anything to go on. Second, she looked too much like fucking Deku for people to believe that bullshit. Plus fucking Shitty Hair knew for a fact he didn't have a sister.

"Goddamn-" Katsuki tripped over the coffee table and fell backward into another sofa armrest. His foot reflexively kicked the underside of the small table effectively stubbing his toe. "Motherfucker-" he hissed in pain. "Oh, no! Are you okay? I'm sorry, daddy! I didn't mean to startle you. I heard people talking... I know other people live here not just daddy and papa's friends... But they don't sound like papa or daddy's friends." She spoke so fast he barely heard everything she said, but it didn't matter at the moment. He and she both were being too loud. Her rambling and his accidental assault on the coffee table were bound to draw attention to them and attention was the last thing Katsuki wanted. He silently prayed that no one had heard them.

"Hey, did you hear that?" A voice down the hall said.

Fuck you, you shitty god. Go to hell. Give him a fucking break.

He almost threw Kana over his shoulder with how fast he picked her up, completely intent on leaving the common room as fast as he could. She didn't protest in the slightest other than a small "Oof-" and he vaguely wondered if she was used to this. He wasn't rough handling her, but it wasn't it exactly gentle either. Shaking his head to rid himself of the rogue thoughts that weren't helping him get to the safe haven that was his room, Katsuki walked - or rather limped on his throbbing toe -faster praying to any (other) god that would listen that it wasn't Deku who made it back first. He heard the footsteps getting closer, but before he could round the corner out of sight, he knew someone saw him. _Fuck!_

"Bakugou! You're back already. I was wondering why I didn't see you in the classroom, everyone else was- who's that?" he heard the annoyingly familiar voice of the resident electric clown. Leave it to fucking Kaminari to show up at the perfect time to ruin Katsuki's escape plan. Of course, he could always just keep walking and ignore the idiot and avoid murdering him for walking in at the wrong time, but it wasn't like that wouldn't happen either way when Dunce face predictably followed him.

"That's what that sound was - Is that a kid?" another voice said,

Katsuki turned to glare pointedly at the other blonde boy with a vengeance, not that the idiot knew why he was glaring at him this time - or _any_ time actually, how could he? Kaminari was surprisingly unperturbed by the look he was currently getting. He was probably being used to it after almost three years of knowing him and Katsuki wished for once in his life that the idiot could tell the difference between his usual scowl and a glare that said: _Leave me the fuck alone before I kill you._ Not that Katsuki didn't always threaten people like that... Well shit.

He didn't even spare a glance at the disgusting grape pervert that was standing next to Dunce Face, and he didn't need to, to know that Mineta wasn't looking at him, but what - or rather _who_ he was holding. Kana was being suspiciously quiet, but Katsuki wasn't going to make her talk. In fact, he was actually grateful she didn't start rambling again. Kana sat up in his arms from where her face had been buried in his neck to look back at the two boys behind her with curiosity. She shrunk into herself as she caught sight of them and out of the corner of his eye, he saw her gaze flickering between the boys and lingering on the creep with an expression Katsuki couldn't decipher.

"None of your fucking business," Katsuki growled lowly before turning on his heels. Now he could act like it was no big deal and hope the idiot had enough sense to shut his mouth, but he knew better than to think that would ever happen. He knew Kaminari enough to know he wasn't going to back down. Some would say that was a great trait for a hero to have, it meant that they were brave and shit. And it was, sure. Just not when it came to Katsuki. When it came to Katsuki and you didn't know when to back down you were either a complete moron or had a serious death wish. But the same difference, right?

"Isn't Uncle Denki your friend?" Kana whispered into his ear, only loud enough for him to hear. Her sudden breath on his ear made him shiver slightly and he shook his head to rid himself of the thought, it wasn't time for him to shy away from the foreign affection. Uncle Denki, huh. Well, that explained the strange look she was giving the grape pervert. She didn't know him. Ha, now that was something he was looking forward to. Never having to see Mineta again after graduation. Fucking Hallelujah. But that also meant he knew Dunce face eleven years in the future, was even close enough that his daughter called him uncle. And okay that didn't sound as bad as he always thought it would. Sue him. "Quiet." He hissed. Kana huffed but stayed quiet as he walked away.

"Hey, where are you going? Who's the little girl?" Kaminari asked again, following him like Katsuki knew he would. The sound of the door clicking open was barely registered over his growing irritation. Why the fuck couldn't these extras ever take a hint? He wanted to be left alone goddamn it. Ugh, who the hell was he kidding? Even if they knew he wanted to be left alone, they still wouldn't have listened to him. Goddamn pushy bastards.

"My room. Where the fuck else?" Katsuki said, his voice more than laced with annoyance. He kept walking towards the elevator, pointedly ignoring their questions about Kana. He was almost around the corner, Kaminari still hot on his heels much to his displeasure, but if he could make it to the elevator without blowing up, it'd be a win-win right? They wouldn't die an earlier death, Kana wouldn't have to see it and Katsuki could have his peace and quiet for a little while longer. It was the perfect plan, right?

Wrong.

"With her? Alone?" Mineta blurted, his voice easily betraying his disbelief and his eyes narrowing. Katsuki turned around and finally looked at the shorter boy for the first time. His frown deepened. He didn't like the tone the creep was using. And it definitely wasn't _disbelief_ that Katsuki was hearing. It was an accusation.

"The fuck that's supposed to mean?" Katsuki growled threateningly. Why the hell did it matter whether he was alone with her in his room or otherwise? She was perfectly fine staying with Katsuki rather than Aizawa-sensei, she even chose to. They were just alone in the common room before these fuckers showed up, it would be no different. And it wasn't as if he wasn't responsible enough to watch her until they found a way to send her back to her time or whatever. He glanced at Kaminari before returning his steely gaze to Mineta, the other blonde boy looked just as confused. The creep had an underlying smugness to his visage that had Katsuki wrinkling his nose in disgust. Whatever act he tried to put on, Katsuki could see through it. And if he thought he was safe from his wrath just because they were in the dorms, he was sadly mistaken. Like that would stop Katsuki from kicking his perverted ass.

"I'm just saying isn't it a little suspicious, you taking her to your room alone after refusing to tell us who she is?" Realization struck Katsuki like a bolt of lightning as he finally understood what Mineta was implying, and it had his blood _boiling_ in pure, unadulterated rage. _How fucking dare he?_

Katsuki set Kana on the ground gently and patted her head in a reassuring manner before began walking towards Mineta with slow deliberate steps. Smoke rose from his burning hands as sparks began to ignite in his palms. His crimson eyes glowed, a deadly glint shining in the pools of blood-red as he looked the smaller boy straight in the eyes. When he spoke, his voice was low and dripping with poison. "She's fucking four goddamn years old." He said, not screamed or yelled, just said slowly, but anyone listening could tell that if Katsuki was angry and he wasn't shouting that it was bad. Really fucking bad. "Say anything like that again, and I swear to god you won't fucking live long enough to regret it." He didn't understand where the deep-seated will to protect her came from, it wasn't like anything he ever felt before. Never had he felt such a strong need to protect before, not even himself. His body instinctively reacted, something Katsuki was used to when he was fighting, but it was different this time.

Mineta cowered back, tears of fear gathering in the corners of his eyes as the blonde advanced, his palms crackling with mini-explosions now, not just sparks. Kaminari just stood rooted in place, shock or second-hand terror keeping him from stepping between the two or even running. The creep's mouth was moving, but Katsuki couldn't hear a word that was coming out through his white-hot rage, not that he would've cared about what the pervert had to say regardless. He was so fucking _dead_.

"Hey, Bakubro!" Kirishima said, throwing an arm around his neck, seemingly coming out of nowhere. The explosions immediately stopped as he was snapped out of the rage that had been blinding him. He was shocked, he had been so angry he didn't even notice that someone else had entered the room. Not even someone as loud as Shitty Hair. Katsuki looked at Kirishima's sunny smile that was way too close to his face for comfort, "We missed you in the classroom, finish your internship early?" he asked.

As soon as Katsuki's attention was off of him, Mineta high tailed it out of the common room as fast as he could. Katsuki turned to glare at his retreating form, but Kirishima's free hand locked onto his wrist as if he was holding him back. He probably was. Kirishima's grip on his wrist was the only thing grounding him, stopping him from going after the pervert. He fisted his hands, trying to keep the angry trembling at bay and took a deep breath. _That's it, Katsuki. In_, _out. In, out. _He closed his eyes and shook his head once as if he was physically shaking the anger away.

"Uh, what was that about?" Mina asked, jabbing her thumb in the direction that the grape pervert had run for his life. Katsuki tensed slightly and glanced at Kirishima out the corner of his eyes, but he showed no sign that he had seen what _that _was about. He knew better than to believe that Kirishima stopped him so subtlety if he hadn't known what was going on. Katsuki was grateful that the redhead didn't comment on it. If he had to repeat what was said to set him off, he wasn't sure he could stop himself from going after the creep and murdering him in cold blood.

"Who's the little girl?" Kirishima asked, spotting the girl standing just off to the side exactly where Katsuki had left her and effectively diverting the attention from Mineta.

Katsuki grimaced, he wasn't sure he wanted to see what kind of expression she had on her face after witnessing him lose control like that. Would she be scared? He wouldn't blame her if she was, if he was being honest, he scared himself. _Bakugou Katsuki_ didn't lose control. Ever, not like that.

Katsuki ignored their questions and shook Kirishima's arm off of his shoulders and just as he was about to turn back to Kana he heard a happy squeal. Okay, that was… unexpected, to say the least.

"Uncle Eiji!" She cried happily, launching herself at the confused red head. Her short legs moved as fast as they could underneath the too-long shirt she had on, but she tripped over the hem and began to fall down right at his feet. Kana didn't meet the ground because Kirishima swooped down and caught her easily. "Woah! Slow down, kid." He laughed before picking her up with way more grace than Katsuki had. He looked like a natural, as if he had done it a million times before. He probably had considering all of his younger siblings. He was not even concerned that she just called him uncle in the slightest and Katsuki almost felt like a fool for freaking out, almost. Being called uncle and daddy were two very different things. _He_ was allowed to freak out.

"Uncle Eiji?" Mina echoed.

"I don't know." Kirishima shrugged, but he was still grinning as Kana poked his cheek and giggled.

"I'm Kana Bakugou! Remember me?" She asked him excitedly. Her emerald eyes were shining more than normal as she looked at the red-head, but Katsuki shrugged it off as excitement. Granted she wasn't so excited when she saw Kaminari, but that was probably because the creepy grape fucker was standing with him and she didn't seem to react to strangers very well. She obviously knew his friends well if she was so comfortable around them.

"They don't know you, yet." Katsuki reminded. But then he wrinkled his nose at how soft his voice sounded. What the hell was that?

Kana huffed, pursing her lips which in turn made Kirishima laugh at her pout, and even Katsuki had to admit it was cute - just not out loud.

"Awe! Is Bakugou your big brother? You look like him, but much sweeter." Mina cooed in a sickeningly sweet voice. Why did girls always change their voices when talking to children? He got softening their voice, it made sense especially for men, but not to that extent. "I didn't know you had a sister Bakugou." Katsuki blinked. Okay, wow. Maybe his friends were dumber than he thought, which was a disturbing realization.

He watched as Kana's expression morphed into one of confusion as she looked at Raccoon Eyes, "He's not my brother Auntie Mina, he's my daddy!" she said.

"DADDY?!" Kirishima, Mina, and Kaminari - who had just been recovering from shock a moment ago - exclaimed looking at him with wide eyes. He knew the reveal was coming, and now unavoidable, but that didn't mean he was comfortable with it. He glowered at them. They had a talent for making any and everything seem worse than it really was.

"I thought she was your cousin!" Kirishima blurted, looking between the two Bakugou's as if he was comparing them. His gaze lingered longer on her emerald eyes and freckles that he could no doubt see considering how close her face was to his. A spark of recognition flashed across his face and Katsuki made a point of avoiding his eye lest he figure it out that way.

"You have a kid?! At seventeen?!" Kaminari squawked. His eyes bulging as he stared. He looked fucking ridiculous, not that he didn't always look ridiculous; he always kind of looked stupid like that no matter what he was doing.

"Don't be fucking ridiculous." Katsuki barked, glaring at the three idiots. Why the fuck did people keep assuming that? "She's from the future, time travel quirk or some shit." She was four years old; he would've had to have been thirteen for fuck's sake.

"You have a kid!" Kaminari repeated. "How the heck did Bakugou bag a babe with a personality like that? I mean, he has the emotional range of a teaspoon!" he said incredulously.

"Fuck you, too." Katsuki spat. _At least I'm not an idiot._ He thought, (not even trying to deny the allegation against his emotional range). And he could get a girl if he wanted to - _if he was even interested in girls_ or anyone _else _for that matter - thank you very much.

"Uncle Denki, what does '_bag a babe_' mean?" Kana asked with that cute tilt of her chin, her feature way too innocent to be saying something like that.

"I'm going to kill you." Katsuki snapped, glaring daggers at Kaminari as he lifted a smoking hand towards the blonde. He was going to blow up that discount Pikachu after he wrung his neck. Kaminari jumped away with a small yelp as he tripped over his own foot and fell. He didn't need his so called friends teaching his daughter degrading terms.

"Nothing important." Kirishima said quickly, giving the lightning idiot a disapproving look of his own. "Don't listen to him." Kana pinched both of his cheeks and laughed as if it was the funniest thing she had ever seen and the redhead smiled stupidly in her grasp.

"Okay, Uncle Eiji!" Kana said, releasing his face and hugging him around the neck. Kirishima seemed surprised but grinned at Katsuki who just scowled. He was grateful she had dropped the subject so fast after Shitty Hair told her it didn't matter, but he wasn't going to show it.

"I could get used to this," Kirishima said while hugging Kana back, snuggling his face into her ash-blonde hair.

"Don't," Katsuki growled.

"Who's her mom?" Mina asked with a sly grin, her yellow and black eyes searching his crimson ones as if she would find her answer there.

"Like fuck I'll tell you." She didn't exactly know there wasn't a _mother_, but it wasn't like he was going to correct her, no way. Fuck that.

"So it's someone we know!" She squealed in excitement.

Katsuki glared harder at her and Kirishima gave him a weird look. How the hell did she read him so well? He was starting to think she was just taking random guesses until she found one that stuck, one that he reacted to. Like hell he was going to let the biggest gossip queen in UA know anything as personal as that before it even happened. Not that he was really worried about her telling anyone. He knew he could trust her not to, but that didn't mean he was just going to tell her his biggest secret just because she wanted to know.

Technically he had two secrets, but they went hand in hand with each other. He was gay, for one. Second, he was in fucking love with his childhood friend who he had bullied through almost their entire childhood. He didn't plan on telling Deku much less Raccoon Eyes, so he had no clue how they ended up together in the future. Or how Deku could ever possibly like him back after everything he put him through. Deku had said he forgave him, but Katsuki sure as hell didn't forgive himself. An apology didn't change that. This _Katsuki_ – the one who had bullied him for thirteen years - didn't deserve to be with him. He didn't deserve Izuku. He didn't deserve to _want_ to be with Izuku.

"Mommy?" Kana asked, pulling her head away from where she was snuggling into Kirishima's neck. "I don't have a mommy. I'm a quirk baby." She said proudly, pumping her fist.

The other two did a double-take as the implications of what being a quirk baby meant settled in, unless maybe, just maybe they were dumb enough to believe he for some reason wanted a kid for some reason without being in committed relationship, but Kirishima seemed to expect it. A grin spread over his face as he looked closely at Kana. "No way! I knew those eyes were familiar! You did it, man!"

Katsuki had done it, just not this one. Kana had to be from another universe entirely – and yeah, he believed there was a multiverse like the closet dork he was. – because Katsuki didn't plan on telling Izuku ever. He couldn't risk the friendship they had finally rebuilt after he destroyed it thirteen years ago. So she couldn't be from _his_ future, but another version of him.

Katsuki couldn't help the darkening in his cheeks, of course, leave it to Shitty Hair to figure out everything he didn't want people to know. "S-shut up!" he barked as he made a swipe at Kirishima who just ducked and walked away with Kana. It pissed him off that he was still feeling the way he was despite knowing he didn't deserve to.

"Oi, where the fuck do you think you're going?"

"We're gonna play! Right, Kana?" He said lifting a giggling Kana above his head.

"Mm!" She agreed while smiling that brighter-than-the-sun smile. Kaminari followed after them happily like a kid as they started jumping on all the furniture in the common room. She had that same sweet energy as Deku when she was happy.

"Oh, my god! It's Midoriya isn't it?" Mina squealed just loud enough for Katsuki to hear. He blushed again and stomped past the pinkette, of fucking course she picked up on that too, being the bloodhound she was.

He rolled his eyes and started to follow Kirishima who was practically skipping to the lobby now yelling "Guys! I'm going to be an uncle!" to whatever poor souls that just entered the dorm.

"Way to go, Blasty! You sure know how to pick 'em. Midoriya's cute!" Katsuki blushed again, his face betraying him. He should've known better than to think they wouldn't find out. He turned the corner quickly to avoid looking at Ashido now that she knew. He had been afraid of their reaction, despite Kirishima telling him that none of their friends would judge him because of his sexuality, but it seemed he was wrong. If anything, she was happy for some reason. Why? He didn't know. What he did know was, maybe it wasn't so bad if his closest friends knew. The public was a different story entirely. He wasn't inclined to find out what they thought about his sexuality once he became a pro hero. It was none of their damn business, but it would affect his career if the media ever found out. It could backfire on him and Deku, which was another reason why he decided he wouldn't let said boy find out. He couldn't drag Izuku down with him.

He looked up and away from the ground just in time to see Kirishima run into an invisible force – or girl – and start to fall over Kaminari. Kana – who was being held over his head pretending to be an airplane – had slipped out of his hands, sailing straight towards the ground.

Panic hit Katsuki like a train.

Kana seemed to fall toward the ground in slow motion, her emerald eyes wide as she realized what was happening. She has her arms crossed over her face for protection from the hard floor. Kirishima had lost his grip on her waist, but as his hands reached, _reached- _it still wasn't enough. He wouldn't get to her before she collided with the ground. Heat blossomed in Katsuki's hands as he began to ignite the nitroglycerin sweat on his palms, intent on using his explosions to boost him faster than he could have gone on his own. Closer, he needed to get _closer._ He needed to go faster._ Faster goddamn it!_

But it wasn't fast enough.

He wouldn't reach her.

He wasn't even close.

Green lightning flashed in his eyes and time sped up again. Kirishima and Kaminari were sprawled across the floor, their arms outstretched in the direction they had been reaching for Kana and their hands empty. They didn't reach her. Katsuki could've sworn his heart stopped completely, then it returned full force, slamming into his ribcage as his eyes flickered to the left. Deku was standing there cradling Kana to his chest protectively, fully clad in his hero costume, looking like a real Hero. The sight would've made Katsuki drool in any other circumstance.

She was safe. Relief washed over Katsuki, but it was almost immediately ripped away as his brain registered what would inevitably happen next and he froze in place. It was over. There was no way he would be able to keep his secret now. She would call him papa and introduce herself like she had the past two times and he would be exposed.

"Hey, are you two, okay?" Deku asked as the two boys frantically scrambled off each other and started apologizing. Deku shrugged them off politely to look at Kana. "That was a close one, I thought I wouldn't get to you in time!" He said with a sheepish grin as he set her on the ground and kneeled in front of her. "You're not hurt are you?" Kana blinked at him as tears gathered in her eyes. Deku's eyes went wide in confusion as he waved his hands around frantically, obviously not sure what to do. "Ah, I'm sorry! Did I scare you? I mean, I did come out of nowhere so It's understandable, I'm so sorry – Please don't cry!"

Katsuki made eye contact with Kirishima, who looked almost devastated and apologetic for being so reckless while playing with Kana, but Katsuki couldn't decide whether he was pissed at the redhead for that almost accident or relieved she didn't get hurt. His eyes shot to Deku again and he waited for the inevitable. Goddamn it, he really shouldn't have fallen asleep in the common room. Maybe if he didn't he could've avoided all the drama. What did Katsuki ever do to deserve this?

On second thought, don't answer that.

"P- Deku!" She wailed.

Wait, what the fuck?


	3. Sincerity is Scary

Katsuki made a move to scoop Kana up and make a quick escape before things could escalate further into chaos, choosing to ignore that she called him Deku instead of papa in favor of making a run for it – He could deal with that later. Katsuki was still confused as fuck, but there could be a multitude of reasons why she did what she did and quite frankly he was relieved. Maybe he had some luck on his side. He only made it two steps towards the two when he saw it, the raw, unfiltered expression shown on her face plain as day and he just _froze_. Despite how much his brain was screaming at him to get out of there, he couldn't find it in himself to move.

"You're back!" Kana cried, throwing herself into Deku's arms and hugging the confused boy much like the way she always hugged Katsuki. Her body was trembling like a leaf, her emerald eyes were swimming in tears and her voice was breaking, "I missed you so much!" she sobbed into his shoulder, tears and snot running down her face despite how much she was sniffling. Deku didn't even seem to mind the mess she was wiping all over him, instead he just scooped her up and rubbed her back gently. "I - I'm here now?" He said hesitantly, his face twisted softly in concern. His undivided attention was solely on her as he attempted to calm her down, and Katsuki wondered how he was so calm when a little girl he had never seen before in his life clung to him as if her life depended on it and said she missed him. Fucking saints.

"D-daddy said you w-won't remember me because I'm from th-the future." she blubbered, "But, I-I want you to remember me! Everyone keeps saying 'Who's she?' 'Who's that?' and I _don't like_ it!" Katsuki frowned, that was news to him. She was always smiling when she was introducing herself , so how was he supposed to know she didn't like it when people she already knew asked who she was. He could understand it, he wouldn't like it either. But why hadn't she told him? He would've listened despite common belief. He wasn't heartless. He felt extremely guilty for not noticing before, but it wasn't as if he was just going to magically know how to parent a child because he had one come from the future.

Before Deku had a chance to respond, Kana continued. "I know you don't know me yet," she sniffled, calming down a little, "I'm Kana Bakugou," she whispered. "I'm your-" she cut herself off as she eyed his hero costume and the crowd of his classmates that were watching the scene like a real bunch of extras. Did they really have nothing better to do?

Katsuki narrowed his eyes, she had been about to say she was his daughter, he knew because that was the exact same thing she had said to him. What had stopped her? Yeah, he was so fucking glad she didn't but he was still curious as to why. Deku looked confused about what she had been about to say also, he could tell by the look on his face, but he didn't get the chance to ask.

"Holy shit!" Someone behind Deku yelled, he already knew who it was without looking. Another self-proclaimed member of the 'Bakusquad', Sero. The raven haired boy gaped at Katsuki with wide eyes. Well, even if he didn't like the attention, he was glad for the distraction. Tape face looked back at Ashido, Kirishima and Kaminari for confirmation and the three idiots just nodded enthusiastically, too enthusiastically if you asked Katsuki. What the hell were they so fucking excited about? Was it that surprising he had a kid in the future? He knew he wasn't good with them and he certainly never thought about having one before, but no seventeen year old teenagers who were training to become a hero thought about having kids. He wasn't the only one.

"I know, right! And get this - Bakubabe is so protective over her!" Raccoon Eyes smiled and she looked like a proud mom watching her kid interact with their own child for the first time. Okay, was that what this was about? Seriously? Tch, they thought he wouldn't be protective of his kid? Well, maybe he didn't know he was being protective of her, but wasn't that a fucking given? Take care of your fucking children or don't have them at all.

"Yeah, I thought he was going to kill Mi-"

"Shut up!" He snapped, he didn't want to hear about that again. "And you two!" Katsuki rounded on Kirishima and Kaminari who had just been about to talk and pointed an accusing finger at them, "Don't think I fucking forgot about the stupid shit you two just pulled. If Deku hadn't caught her, what the fuck do you think would have happened?" The two idiots bowed their heads in shame, neither one answering, not that he was asking for a legit response. They were fucking heroes in training and they almost dropped a small child after running around blindly. She could've gotten seriously hurt for fucks sake.

"See!" Mina squealed, jumping up and down like she had just won the lottery. "Look how protective Daddy Katsuki is!"

"Don't fucking call me that, Raccoon Eyes!" He growled, okay that was way more embarrassing than he would've thought it would be. He never wanted to hear them call him that ever again. It was like they purposely found things to say and do just to piss him off. Didn't they have any other hobbies? Like picking on Shitty Hair's shitty shoes? Those crocs were seriously fashion suicide, yet the redhead loved them. "Okay Daddy Bakugou!" She said smiling, he cringed.

Sero threw an arm over her neck and pulled her close, the two began whispering animatedly. Sero's eyes jumped from Katsuki to Deku to Kana and his face lit up in a shit-eating grin. He could tell what they were whispering about without having to hear any of it. It was how Deku was her papa and how he didn't even know because Katsuki wouldn't tell him.

Katsuki glared at them "Go do something else with your life and leave me the fuck alone." he snapped and turned back to Deku, surprised to see the nerd was already looking at him. He raised an eyebrow.

"A daughter, huh, Kacchan?" He asked, his emerald green eyes shining the same way they always did when he was excited, but there was something different about it, he couldn't put his finger on it. It was just a little off.

Katsuki whipped his head away, he could feel the heat rise in his cheeks. Why did he have to look at him like that? He was going to give himself away with how he was acting. Katsuki fucking Bakugou doesn't get embarrassed. Except he just did, and it was because the stupid nerd just looked at him and said 'daughter' and 'Kacchan' in the same sentence. How pathetic? Seriously.

A fit of laughter bubbled up from Izuku's mouth and Katsuki had to pretend it wasn't the sweetest sound he had ever heard because he was supposed to be mad goddamn it. Mad that the stupid nerd had embarrassed him and had the nerve to laugh at him. What the hell was that about? He had no idea what he just did warranted laughter. It wasn't funny.

"Who the fuck do you think you're laughing at, Deku?" Katsuki growled, stomping up to said boy. The heat in his cheeks was getting deeper, but maybe he could pass it off as anger. Right? That would totally work.

Deku tried and failed to keep a straight face as he said, "No one, Kacchan."

"Daddy's embarrassed!" Kana said, giggling while she covered her mouth with one hand and pointed at him with the other.

"I'm not fucking embarrassed about shit!" Katsuki growled, glaring at Deku. Of course, he couldn't actually pass it off as anger. Kana gave him a curious look and Katsuki realized he never told her that they weren't together and gauging from her reaction to seeing Deku it wasn't going to sit well with her. How the hell would he even bring that subject up with her? She was a kid, she wasn't going to understand. He wasn't even so sure she would like him anymore if he told her what he did to not deserve to be with Deku, and _that _really fucking hurt. But he welcomed the pain, it wasn't anything compared to what he did to Deku.

"Of course, not." Deku chirped before looking at Kana and shaking his head as if to say he didn't actually believe him. Kana giggled and copied Deku. Katsuki felt a familiar warm feeling in his chest at the sight, but he squashed the feeling down immediately. This wasn't something he was allowed to have. His younger self made sure of that, and he didn't have anyone to blame but himself. Katsuki glared at nothing in particular and crossed his arms.

"Awe, Kacchan. Don't pout." Deku said, not even trying to conceal the amusement in his voice.

"I'm not fucking pouting!" What the hell? He- he was _not_ pouting.

"I'm sorry, don't be grumpy." Now he was calling him grumpy? Maybe it was true, but the nerd was definitely trying to get on his nerves.

"No you fucking aren't."

"Okay, maybe I'm not _that_ sorry." Deku relented.

"Tch." He wasn't actually angry at Deku, not that the other boy knew that, and he definitely wasn't going to tell him the real reason why.

"Pa-Deku?" Kana said suddenly.

Deku blinked like he was processing something and looked at Kana, "What is it?"

"I'm all yucky, now." she said, gesturing to her face. Her nose was red and her eyes were puffy, it was kind of disgusting in an... endearing kind of way?

"I'm sure Kacchan would have no problem cleaning you up," He said with a grin, "I actually should go change, too." Deku started to pass Kana to Katsuki but her eyes went wide with panic and she clutched onto Deku harder, "Wait! No, don't go! I don't want you to go!" she buried her head in the crook of his neck and refused to let go. Deku gave him a questioning look. "Daddy, please! I don't want him to go!" she pleaded.

Katsuki stiffened when Kana refused to let go of Deku and eyed the others, hating the questioning looks they were giving him. "It's okay, Kacchan. I can take her with me - I mean if it's okay with you. Oh! But I guess that's kind of weird? You're her dad after all. I don't know why she wants me to stay, uh, maybe we could go together? We don't have to! It was just a suggestion because she looked really sad and I don't want her to cry because of me-"

Katsuki slapped a hand over his mouth and rolled his eyes, "Stop fucking muttering, I'll get a cloth. Just stay in the common room." he said. Who knew what she would end up calling him once they were in private, and he assumed Deku wouldn't try to go change unless Kana let him go without crying. Maybe he could keep that information on the low-down until they could sent her back to her own timeline.

"Oh, okay, Kacchan."

Kana looked at him and Katsuki immediately knew what she was going to say, "I'll be back in fucking two minutes." he said, before she had a chance to open her mouth.

"But-"

"Do you trust me?" he asked, looking into her big green eyes.

Kana looked at him but nodded.

"Then just wait here with Deku. I'll be right back."

Kana nodded again, and Katsuki walked away.

* * *

If Katsuki learned one thing from Kana's out burst when Deku tried to leave, it was that something must have happened to said boy before she came back from the future. If he remembered right, she had said something earlier about him disappearing from the flower shop she was in. At first he shrugged it off because she was the one that went back in time and it must have only looked like he disappeared, but it had to have been more complicated than that. If he was understanding correctly, the three of them were together before Deku 'disappeared' and she was sent back in time. So it made sense she was clinging to him more than Katsuki, although he did notice she would glance his way often, as if she was checking to see if he was still there. As if he was going to _leave_, he couldn't just get up and walk out without bringing Kana. Especially since she wouldn't go anywhere without Deku, and his secret was more safe out in the open ironic as it was.

He noticed not long after Deku first showed up, that she would try to call him papa only to cut herself off when she looked at his hero costume and his other classmates. So as long as Deku didn't change out of it or go anywhere with her in private, he assumed it was safe to say she wasn't going to call him papa, therefore crisis averted. But then that left him with only one option; stay in the common room and pray to any fucking god that would listen that she would let Deku leave so he could take her back to his room and away from his loud and obnoxious classmates.

The sky outside was already darkening, turning soft shades of orange and pink as the sun set, bathing him in warmth. Katsuki allowed himself to slump in his seat and relax, for the first time not in any immediate danger of exposure. Deku seemed to be focused on Kana like everyone else, but every now and again he would glance at Katsuki with a look he couldn't quite decipher, and before he even had a chance to try, Deku would look away. He knew that Deku had questions, like why _Katsuki's_ daughter was clinging to him so much, but he didn't ask, which was super fucking surprising. Normally he couldn't stop talking, especially when he saw some interesting quirk, or quirk side effect. Kana kind of fell into that category, coming from the future and all.

"We need to get you some proper clothes!" Deku said, tickling Kana, "Let's go ask Yaoyorozu, look there she is!" Kana looked up as said girl walked in, smiling as soon as she saw her. "Auntie Momo!"

"Hi, Kana."

Katsuki had been watching Deku and Kana play in the common room from his spot by the window. He couldn't help but notice how much more calm she was around him and Deku compared to Kirishima and Kaminari, like she was matching her energy with whoever she was with, as if she was in complete sync with them. It was intriguing to say the least. How a kid as small as her was more in tune with people than many of the adults he knew.

Deku helped Kana change under a blanket that Yaoyorozu held over their heads. The raven haired teen was giggling, but when she met Katsuki's eye, she smiled knowingly and Katsuki froze. She seemed to sense his panic from across the room because she held a finger up to her lips in a 'shh' motion and smiled again. God fucking damnit, how the hell did she figure it out? It can't be that fucking obvious.

"Daddy! Daddy, look!" Kana ran up to him, smiling as she spun around and showed him her new clothes. She had on green flowery overalls and a purple long sleeve shirt, brown boots and her hair was up in a ponytail. She looked pretty fucking cute.

"Looks good, brat." he said. Kana beamed at him and turned around, but turned back just as quickly with a look of confusion.

"You still don't look happy, daddy." she said, crawling onto the couch beside him and sitting down. "I thought seeing papa would make you happy," she whispered loud enough for only Katsuki to hear, "but you look _more_ sad, daddy."

Katsuki blinked. He wasn't expecting her to notice that. Fuck, he didn't even notice it himself. He didn't feel sad, maybe a little bitter, but that was normal. Maybe that was why Deku kept giving him those looks.

"Papa doesn't know who I am, I should be sad, not you." she said, Katsuki snorted. That was probably true. Maybe this was a good time to ask her about that, "Yeah? and why haven't you told him?"

"'Cause I'm not allowed to," she huffed, she looked sad, but wasn't on the verge of crying... yet.

"Who told you you're not allowed to?" He didn't remember saying anything like that. Maybe someone from the future?

"Papa did. Big papa I mean. He said never call him papa while he has his hero costume on 'cause s'not safe."

So he was right. She did have a reason that had to do with his outfit, but she still called him 'Daddy' in front of Best Jeanist and Aizawa-sensei. "Oh, yeah? Why did you call me daddy when I had my costume on then?"

She paused before cringing, "I forgot."

"You forgot?" he repeated bluntly.

Kana nodded her head and looked down. "I'm sorry." She murmured.

"Tch, it's fine here, but you should be more careful. Deku probably had a good reason for a rule like that." Kana nodded her head. Well, she was way more intelligent than he thought she was, even if he already thought she was smart. Maybe she would understand what he told her about him and Deku.

"Daddy?" she asked,

"Hmm?"

"I want to go home, I miss my _papa and daddy_. I love little you and little papa, but s'not the same." She said quietly, twiddling her thumbs. He could've guessed that already. It was completely understandable, he wouldn't want to be stuck with a whole bunch of people that he knew that didn't know him either. Aizawa-sensei was probably working on finding a way to send her back at this very moment. Or at least find out if she would just go back after a certain time limit. He knew some quirks worked that way, not all of them, but some.

"You remember that man that was going to take care of you before?"

"You mean Shouta?" she asked,

"You knew him?" he said incredulously, staring down at her.

"Of course!" she chirped.

"Then why the hell were you crying?"

"I wanted to stay with you and papa." she said matter of factly.

Katsuki sighed, it didn't really matter anymore. "Anyway, he's going to find a way to send you home. He and All Might are trying to find a solution."

"Really? I can go home soon?" she asked, jumping up onto her feet excitedly, her eyes shinning while she smiled that brighter-then-the-sun smile.

"I would fucking guess," he snorted, his lips quirking up in the smallest of smiles.

Kana surged forward and hugged him, leaving a small kiss on his cheek before she jumped off the couch. "I wanna go see papa now," she said.

"Wait a minute," he said suddenly, sitting up a little straighter. He didn't really want to ask her to do it, but it was probably better that way.

"Yes, daddy?" She asked curiously.

"Could you do something for me?"

"Anything, daddy!"

"Could you, uh, keep calling him Deku, even if he changes?"

Kana scrunched up her face in confusion, "Then papa won't know who I am,"

"I know..."

"O-okay, daddy... I'll do it for you, but why?" Kana looked up at him with sad eyes, but even he could see she wasn't going to leave it alone until she was satisfied with the answer.

"Uh, we - we're not together... yet." He'll leave out the part where he's like completely sure she's not even from the same universe, because that was a whole other can of worms.

"You're not? But don't you love papa?"

"I, uh, I do..." he mumbled, his cheeks reddening. That was his first time admitting it out loud. That shit's fucking hard. How the hell did people just openly say embarrassing shit like that? Even to someone as unbiased as a small child? It was like ripping out your own beating heart and giving it to someone else who could do just about anything with it.

"Then why?"

"It's complicated," it wasn't that simple. If everything was as simple as an innocent child saw it, the world probably wouldn't need heroes to begin with. But things are never that easy. Katsuki had a front row seat to that bullshit.

"But you love papa, right? What's comp'icating 'bout that?"

Katsuki frowned, "I did some messed up shit, you wouldn't understand."

"So say sorry," she said, her brows furrowed like she was trying to understand.

"It's not that fucking simple."

"Papa says it is. He said 'say sorry and mean it, then go from there'. No one is perfect, daddy." she said softly, sounding way older than a four year old should.

Katsuki didn't reply right away, maybe that kind of logic was true, it just didn't seem right for him to get a happy ending like that after everything he did. Kana continued, "Do you think little papa doesn't love you? He does! He said he loved you since you were little like me!"

Katsuki narrowed his eyes, "He said that?"

"Yup!"

"Are you actually only fucking four?" He asked seriously.

"Yes! But, I turn five soon!"

Katsuki nodded, "Huh," then said, "Why don't you go play with Deku, now? He won't stop looking at me with those goddamn puppy dog eyes."

Kana looked up to see Deku shifting in his seat and glancing at them every so often like he wanted to join them, but didn't want to intrude. "Okay, daddy!" she got off the couch and ran over to Deku who smiled happily as she jumped onto his lap.

Todoroki walked in and blinked when he noticed Kana, staring at her with a blank face. Katsuki wrinkled his nose, yay more fucking people.

"Uncle Sho!" Kana beamed, "Hi, uncle Sho," she said as he sat down on the sofa across from her. "I'm Kana. I'm from the future! Katsuki is my daddy."

Icyhot blinked again and nodded, "Is he now?" he said with the smallest of smirks. He didn't seem surprised in the least. Katsuki could see the recognition pass in his heterochromic eyes. Damn bastard was an idiot when it came to the real world - well, not as much now as when he was a first year - but, for some odd reason he could pick up similarities between people or certain traits and fucking guess their relationship. What a fucking weirdo. He was a weirdo because Katsuki refused to believe he was just observant.

"Yup!" she said, bouncing on Deku's lap who smiled a little nervously. "Uncle Sho?"

"Yeah?"

"Could you use your fire?" Kana asked, he could feel her excitement from across the room. Why she was excited about his fire, he didn't know.

"My fire?" Todoroki asked in surprised.

"Yeah!"

Icyhot flipped his palm up and let a flame dance across his hand. Kana crawled towards it, but when she reached out, the flame went out.

"Be careful."

"It's okay, uncle Sho, heat doesn't hurt me 'cause of my quirk!"

Katsuki blinked. He had completely forgot she was old enough to develop a quirk and if he was being honest, he was really interested in what kind of quirk she had. If it came from Deku's side of the family, or his. Maybe a combination of both?

"Watch!" Kana threw her hands in the air, as if she was throwing confetti and when she closed her hands, little sparks went off in the air above her head. "And I can do this! Fire, Uncle Sho." she demanded sweetly.

Icyhot lit another flame in his hand and Kana reached out and grabbed it. Literally grabbed it, from his palm, letting it move in her hand and then the flame was floating above her hand. "See! Deku look!" She turned and Deku watched in fascination.

"Deku?" Icyhot repeated in confusion, raising an eyebrow and looking at Katsuki. The ash-blonde boy just glared at him as if to say _shut up. _Of fucking course he knew. At least he was smart enough to not comment on it.

"That's amazing! It could almost be mistaken for Pyrokinesis, but you can also control explosions from a distance. Do you also sweat nitroglycerin like Kacchan?" Katsuki could practically hear the gears shifting in Deku's head. The nerd was probably going to write that down in one of his notebooks. It was pretty cool. He could remember Inko had a telekinesis quirk. Controlling her explosions as well as fire from a distance, huh. So a combination of both.

"Uhuh!" she grinned and turned, "Did you see me, daddy?"

"I saw." He said while grinning, "Impressive." Of course a daughter of his would have a crazy impressive quirk. The only thing he would be worried about is her ending up like him, but he guessed there was no way that was happening since she was Deku's kid, too. She was too sweet for that.

Kana beamed and blew out the flame, but her smile promptly dropped when Uraraka and Kirishima made an appearance.

"Hi, Kana! I'm Och-"

"I know who _you_ are, Auntie Ochako," Kana huffed, "You don't know _me_... Hi, uncle Eiji!" she said, not even looking at Uraraka.

"Hey, little missy!"

"Hah, get rekt Round Face." Katsuki said from across the room with a smirk. Guess Kana didn't like her.

"Hey! Kacchan, that isn't nice." Deku scolded.

"Yeah, Bakugou." Kirishima echoed, as he picked Kana up, placing her on his lap when he sat down. Uraraka sat beside him.

"Tch, I'm not fuckin' nice, Deku."

"You are, sometimes, when you think theres no one is watching." Deku murmured, Katsuki's smirk dropped and he stared at him for a moment, there was a tightness in his chest, but it wasn't uncomfortable... more pleasant. He blinked when green eyes met his and he looked away quickly. Instead he looked at Kana who was pushing Round Face over to sit between the two with a frown on her face. Kirishima looked at her curiously but didn't comment. He narrowed his eyes as he tried to decipher the look Kana was making, it was familiar... Crimson eyes went wide as he realized. It was... _possessive.__ That's fucking rich. Kana has a crush on fucking Kirishima. _Katsuki nearly burst out laughing, she didn't not like Uraraka, she saw her as a threat.

Maybe she was more like him than he initially realized.

* * *

"Papa wants to change, but he won't say so." Kana said approaching Katsuki a few minutes after Round Face and Shitty Hair left. God that had been a real riot watching Kana do everything she could to deflect Kirishima's attention away from Uraraka and the idiot hadn't even realized what was happening.

Katsuki stood up suddenly, "Let's go, if he says you can go with him. I'm going to my room." Maybe this would be a good time to sort out his mind in the peace of his bedroom. It had been a really long fucking day and he needed alone time to process it all. Kana wasn't bad to be around, he actually enjoyed it, but she was also the reason for his conflicting thoughts. And now that he didn't have to worry about her calling him papa, he didn't mind letting her stay with him.

"Okay!"

Katsuki walked over to the green haired boy and nodded for him to come, Deku beamed and followed.

"What's up, Kacchan?"

"Daddy wants to go to his room, but I wanna stay with Deku!" Kana supplied, Katsuki could tell she was still wary of leaving the green haired boy even though she knew he wasn't _her_ papa yet. He wasn't the one she was actually worried for, but loved him all the same.

"Do you mind?"

"I don't mind at all, but it's getting late, Kacchan. Is it okay if she stays with me?"

Katsuki nodded, "I trust you," he said nonchalantly. He could physically feel the happiness radiating off of Deku as he said those words, but his got that look again that he always got when Katsuki said something more genuine like that. "What's with that look? Are you really that surprised?"

"What? No! No, I know you trust me, but that's the first time you've ever told me, is all. It makes me happy to hear it..."

"Tch, whatever, nerd." Katsuki said, ignoring how warm he felt just knowing how happy Deku was from a single sentence.

They stepped onto the elevator and Kana grabbed both of their hands. In that moment, it almost felt possible. To be happy with Deku.

The elevator doors open and the two stepped off, leaving him alone. And the feeling was gone. "Bye, daddy!" Kana chirped.

"Bring her to my room when you wanna go to sleep or whatever. The doors open."

"Sure, see you later, Kacchan. I'll bring her back before bed." Izuku said, smiling sincerely. He couldn't help but notice that weird look in his eyes was gone. He looked _really_ happy for some reason. It was scary in a way he couldn't describe and Katsuki couldn't help but feel like he was saying goodbye, which was really fucking ridiculous because he was literally going two floors up.

Katsuki nodded as the doors closed, "Later, 'Zuku." he said softly just before the doors shut. He swore he saw Izuku's smile soften, but somehow looked even happier.

When Katsuki got to his room, he quickly changed into sweats and a tank top before collapsing into his bed. He felt as emotionally exhausted as he did when he blamed himself for All Might's downfall, but it was okay. He finally found the resolve he needed. He didn't just not deserve Izuku, Izuku deserved someone better than him. Someone who could make him smile like that all the time, not someone who had actively tried to take it away. And that was okay. His eyes stung a little, but Katsuki shut them and sighed.

He didn't know how long he laid there, but it felt like only a moment before his door burst open, slamming violently into the wall. Green lightning entered his room and Deku was standing next to his bed with Kana in his arms before Katsuki had the chance to sit up,"What the-" His green eyes were wide with panic and he looked _scared_. Katsuki immediately knew something wasn't right.

"Something's wrong! She- she's disappearing, Kacchan! And I don't think it's because she's going back!"


	4. Proud Love and Chaos

Hey, guys/girls, so I'm back with another chapter! It's a little different from the rest because it takes place in the future from future Katsuki's POV, but trust me it's necessary. This will be the only chapter with anyone other than 17 year old Katsuki _

Remember that violence tag? It applies mostly to this chapter.

Just a little taste of what Katsuki would unknowingly throw away...

Enjoy! ^_^

**_Flash Forward Eleven Years in the Future_**

"Come on, Papa! Daddy, tell Papa to hurry up!" Kana called as she pulled them along the bustling streets of Musutafu by the hand. Katsuki could feel the excitement coming off her in waves as she lead him and Izuku to an unknown destination, her happy smile never leaving her face even as she ushered them along. He couldn't blame Izuku for being slow, he was really fucking tired himself. Yesterday's patrol had been exhausting. He hated hostage situations, and the one that happened had taken a ridiculously long amount of time to get under control. Not only did he get called to the scene along with Izuku, it had been when his shift had just been about to end, so they had been up nearly all night. Stupid villain had held a little girl and her mom at gunpoint with a literal fucking gun and threatened to shoot if the Wonder Duo didn't show up. It made his blood boil because it reminded him of that incident a year ago when a villain had found out just exactly who Kana's parents were.

All because she called him daddy while he had his hero costume on.

Katsuki would never forget the rage and utter helplessness he felt when he found out Kana had been abducted, all because he pissed off some villain and they had a vendetta against him. How he wasn't strong enough to protect her despite being the number two hero and all he could do was gravel at their feet, plead and beg as they beat him without lifting a finger to defend himself for fear Kana would be hurt as the consequence.

* * *

_"Don't hurt her!" Katsuki snarled, pushing himself up and spitting on the ground in front of him, staining the concrete red. Blood leaked passed his lips and drizzled down his chin as he clenched his jaw furiously, "I swear on All Might's grave I will fucking kill you!" he roared, clutching his side. He was sure his rib was broken. Who really cared either way? He wasn't worried about himself. Two burly men beside him grabbed his arms, forcing them behind his back and making him kneel before their boss and his daughter. He struggled lightly, but made no real attempt to break free. It wasn't that his efforts would go fruitless stopping him from moving, he was confident he could beat those d-lister villains with his eyes closed. No, it was the knife held to his three year old daughters throat that really kept him from beating their asses right then and there. Because no matter how fast he was, there was no way he could make it to her before the knife..._

_Kana whimpered, tears streaming down her red puffy face. "Daddy!" she sobbed. Her whole body trembled and her hands shook, but she stood still just like Katsuki told her to when he first arrived. "Please don't hurt my daddy!" _

_"Is that anyway to talk in front of your daughter Ground Zero?" The man mocked, his ice cold eyes gleaming with unmasked malice. An animalistic snarl ripped from Katsuki's throat. "Says the motherfucker threatening an innocent three year old's life." He snarled, his crimson eyes blazing with rage._

_"Touche." the man chuckled, actually fucking chuckled, "But it's in my job __description as a villain wouldn't you say? You however, are a hero. Didn't you pledge to protect the people? Hmm? Theatening my life is very unbecoming of a hero, and a top hero at that."_

_"I'll do more than just fucking threaten it! I'm going to end you for bringing my family into this!"_

_The man dragged the blunt end of the blade across her face, "Really?" he said, his face falling into a more serious expression. His blue eyes flickered to Katsuki's then the blade moved again, this time drawing blood. A small drop of blood trickled down Kana's cheek and she sobbed harder. Katsuki's blood ran cold in his veins and it took every ounce of his self control to stay still. "I don't think you're in the position to be barking threats."_

_"Stop! Let her fucking go! You have me, she's not a part of this!" Katsuki felt dread seeping in from every pore, this villain __didn't care in the least she was only three. Fuck! this was all his fault! A kick to his side knocked him onto the ground again, aggravating his already injured ribcage. He hit his forehead against the cold stone ground and the warehouse began to spin. He could barely make out the sound of Kana's screams, but the sound of her voice was his beacon in the darkness. If he could hear her, she was okay. As long as he didn't fight back, she would be okay._

_Someone picked him up by his collar and shoved him back onto his knees. He swayed, but stayed upright even as his vision distorted. Katsuki's hazy crimson eyes met terrified emerald ones and he breathed a relieved sigh through his heavy breaths._

_"Oh, but she is. I thought to myself: What would the cocky and vicious Symbol of __Victory, a man who never seemed to care about anyone do if his only daughter died?"_

_Air caught in Katsuki's throat and refused to enter his lungs, all the blood drained from his already pale face if that was even possible. His heart stopped, skipping a beat before it came back hammering harder than before "No," he whispered, no! Fuck! This wasn't fucking happening. "No, fuck! Kill me instead! Don't fucking hurt her! Kill me!" No, no, no. Not Kana, not her. She couldn't- He couldn't- Fuck, not his baby girl- _

_The man inched the blade closer to Kana's throat, "I may be inclined to an... exchange if you will. If you forfeit your life, your daughter will live." _

_One of the men holding his arms behind his back kicked him towards the ground again. Katsuki growled lowly when his wrist hit the concrete at an awkward angle, but he didn't make a move to sit up. He bowed on his knees until his forehead touched the ground and he clenched his fists. __"Don't hurt her! _Please_, you have me, let her go. Kill me, not my daughter. Fuck, not her!" The pride that kept him from bending to any villains will was no where to be found, but he was glad. Nothing good ever came from that. _

_The man smiled and it wasn't hard for Katsuki to realize it was what he really wanted from the beginning. These two bit villains had no chance of beating him otherwise, not unless he let them. It was fucking cowardice, but what were villains if not that? They knew from the __beginning he would lay down his life for his daughter in a heartbeat if it was to protect her, they also knew if they really did kill her, there would be nothing keeping Katsuki from ripping them to shreds in the most gruesome way possible. _

_Katsuki couldn't say he was surprised that this would be the way he died. He knew what he was walking into when he began training to become a hero and when they had Kana. He knew it was dangerous for pro heroes to have children for obvious reasons, but that didn't stop them. Katsuki didn't regret it at all, the only thing he did regret was that they weren't more careful. But luckily, the villain obviously didn't know Kana wasn't just his daughter, but the number one pro hero's. At least he knew she would be safe with Izuku. _

_The man beside him pulled out a gun. _

_.__"Daddy! Fight back! You can win, I know you can daddy!" Katsuki's heart sank as he looked at her, but he gave her a reassuring smile. It felt heavy on his face, but not completely fake. _

_"It's going to be okay,"_

_"Daddy, why aren't you fighting?!" she sobbed, Katsuki could feel his heart breaking. Despite knowing he would probably die in the line of battle, he __couldn't say he was ready. Kana definitely wasn't ready for him to go, and he knew he failed her, but she would live. Even if she didn't understand why he left her and hated him for it, he was okay if she was alive and back with Izuku. Izuku would raise her well, he was raising her well, he was a natural father despite never really having one of his own. _

_The man pressed the barrel against his forehead, the metal cold against his skin. Katsuki inhaled sharply, he wasn't afraid to die, but he really fucked up this time, huh? Didn't he, Izuku? He was going to cry, wasn't he? Fuck. Katsuki never wanted to be the cause of Izuku's tears ever again, but here he was. Couldn't even keep a goddamn promise on his deathbed. _

_"Close your eyes, Kana." He said firmly, in a way that left no room for argument. This wasn't something she needed to see. Kana squeezed her eyes shut. "I love you so much, remember that. Be a good girl for papa, okay?" _

_Her eyes snapped open and she stared at him wide eyed. "What are you saying daddy? Why-"_

_"It's going to be okay, but I need you to promise me." He knew she would, but he needed to hear it._

_"Daddy-" _

_"Do you trust me?" _

_Kana nodded, "I __p'omise." she said, clenching her fists._

_"Now close your eyes. And don't open them no matter what. I don't care what you hear, you keep them closed." Kana nodded frantically._

_"Enough of this sentimental shit." the villain flicked the safety off. Why the villain had it on safety, Katsuki didn't know. It seemed stupid to him. "Now your going to die like a dog, how does it feel to lose GZ? Symbol of Victory? Bullshit." Katsuki spat a mouth full of blood at him, it landed on his pant leg. The man reeled in disgust._

_"You didn't win shit." _

_"Wha-"_

_Katsuki focused his glare on the man in front of him, pouring out all his rage into that one look, the man flinched and took two steps back, "If Kana gets hurt, you're going to have one monster of a hero on your trail for the rest of your lives. Trust me when I say, he's never going to stop until you're all dead." Izuku was a true hero, but he was human and it would only take so much to break him. Katsuki hated to even think it, but he had to trust she would be okay. That once he was gone, they would have completed what they set out to do._

_The man raised the gun to his head, but he was still a few feet away, but he could see how much his words had weighed on the villains. Katsuki stared forward, he refused to close his eyes and accept death like that. He'd stand proudly, because he was doing it to save his baby. He vowed he would protect her no matter what, even if that meant he died. "I'm so fucking sorry, Izuku." He whispered under his breath. If only Izuku could hear it. This was it. Fuck, he couldn't have messed up worse. _

_A flash of electric green danced through his __peripheral vision, he blinked slowly, his concussed brain trying to catch up with what his eyes were seeing. Crimson eyes met jade and the latter widened a fraction. __Green curls bounced as he nodded. _

_A spark of hope._

_Katsuki heard the gun click. "__Any last words, dog?"_

_He bared his teeth in a snarl, "Eat. Shit." _

_His arm shot out, connecting with another._

_The gun fired,_

_pain, _

_and he was out._

* * *

The panic he felt waking up in a hospital room a week later with no way of knowing if she was okay hurt worse than any flesh wound. He never felt so weak and out of control of a situation as much as he did at that moment. It was only later when he found out that Izuku had managed to get Kana back unharmed while they were busy. You could imagine his relief, but,

It was times like these, that only in the safety of their bedroom could he admit to Izuku that sometimes he hated being a hero.

"Are you okay, Kacchan? You're spacing out." Izuku asked, pulling him out of his thoughts and looking at him with those concerned emerald eyes. Kana looked up at him and tilted her head, her eyebrows furrowing and her lips pursed together as she observed him silently. Sometimes he wished she wasn't so perceptive. Like Deku, she could read him like a book and there was no way he could hide anything he was feeling from her. "Maybe we should go home. I know you're exhausted." He said, cupping Katsuki's face, swiping the pad of his thumb over his cheek sweetly.

"I'm fine, 'Zuku. Just remembering something," Katsuki murmured, his crimson eyes looking back down at Kana, "Lead the way, baby girl." Kana looked at him critically, before grinning widely and turning around, "This way, we're almost there!" she squealed, raising her fist in the air.

"Wait a minute, Kana." Izuku said, releasing her hand to pick her up and place her on Katsuki's shoulders. Kana's small, chubby hands immediately went to hold onto his head on top of the beanie that hid his hair, "There," he said brightly before meeting Katsuki's crimson eyes with a look of understanding and intertwined their hands. They could read each other so well, it was why they proudly held the title the world's greatest Hero Duo after all. Izuku could understand him in a way no one else could, and he didn't need Katsuki to talk to know what he was thinking, Izuku had enough words for the both of them.

Kana's fingers brushed the scar that stretched from his eyebrow to his hairline that was usually hidden by his hero mask and he could practically feel her concern, "What's it now, brat?" he asked, even though he already knew what she was going to say.

"Does it hurt, Daddy?"

Katsuki rolled his eyes lightly, "It doesn't hurt any more than it did the last time you asked." he said, a light playfulness to his tone. She never failed to ask him if it hurt anytime she touched it. It was sweet, but he couldn't help but be a little worried about it. Katsuki wasn't sure she even remembered where he got it, but it was the only scar she asked if it hurt.

"Okay, daddy."

For Katsuki, his scar was a reminder of what could happen if he wasn't careful and if he let his pride control him, he hated how pitifully weak he had been. But for Izuku, it was a reminder of bravery and heroism, it was a reminder of his strength. Katsuki didn't agree, but Izuku promised he would change Katsuki's mind.

Izuku squeezed his hand, he returned the gesture and they kept walking, Kana started joyfully calling directions to their surprise destination. Katsuki let his ever-present scowl slip off his face as he pulled Izuku closer to his side. His thumb automatically went to brush over one of Izuku's many scars in a means of comfort. It was a little habit he picked up over the years, something that calmed him, grounded him when the bad thoughts threatened to sweep the rug from beneath him off his feet. He wasn't really sure why it helped.

"Here!" Kana screamed, "Let me down! Let me down!" she said excitedly bouncing up and down while pointing at the flower shop they had just arrived at. Katsuki let her down without a word and Kana dug her hand into his jean pocket and pulled out a paper card she had shoved in there earlier. He had no clue what it was for since she had forbidden him to look at it lest he ruin her surprise. She ran in without a word and Izuku laughed and pulled him towards the door.

"Plan on telling us why we're here yet?" Katsuki asked as he and Izuku walked up behind Kana who was literally jumping with excitement in front of the counter.

"Not yet!"

The old woman smiled as she read the card Kana had gave her, "So, you are miss Kana Bakugou!"

"Yes!" Kana chirped.

"I was told you would be here today, I have something in the back with your name on it." The woman winked and walked away, making Katsuki furrow his eyebrows in confusion. What the hell was that about?

Kana finally turned around, her blonde pigtails bouncing lightly. She grinned brightly up at Katsuki and Izuku, "I got a present just for Papa and Daddy!" she said, "Well, I couldn't have done it without Uncle Eiji! But it was all my idea!" Kana announced proudly, her emerald eyes shinning with excitement.

"That's so sweet, Kana! You didn't have to, daddy and I think you're the only gift we need." Izuku said smiling as he kneeled in front of her, "Don't we Kacchan?"

Katsuki grinned, "Do you even need to fucking ask?"

"But, it's really important!" Kana said, just as the old woman returned. "Turn around!" Kana demanded. Katsuki and Izuku turned. The former rolling his eyes lightly, but he couldn't help but be curious about why she had suddenly decided she wanted to get them something, and why Eijirou was involved. Obviously because she couldn't have set this up on her own, even if she was the smartest (almost) five-year-old he had ever met - and fuck was he proud of his daughter - but the redhead was probably the instigator of it all.

"Okay, you can turn around now!" Katsuki and Izuku turned. Kana was holding a small pot with a puffy looking pink flower growing in it. "For your ann'versary!"

Izuku's eyebrows raised in confusion, "Our Anniversary? That's not for-"

"Not that one!" Kana huffed, like she already knew they would say that. Of course they were going to think she meant their wedding anniversary. "The ann'versary that daddy and papa got 'together' in school! Uncle Eiji told me that in two days, eleven years ago daddy and papa finally knew they loved each other! He told me he knew daddy and papa would be together forever and ever after that." her smile was softer this time and when he looked at Izuku he wasn't surprised to see the tears welling in his eyes. He dropped to his knees and took the flower pot and smelt them gently. "They're Dahia flowers! Uncle Eiji says they mean 'Proud love without com- compo- comp'omise?" That was all it took for the waterworks to break loose. Wet, hot tears gliding down his cheeks. Katsuki took the pot and Izuku surged forward, wrapping Kana in his arms.

"Thank you, Kana! I love it, it's perfect! It the best present anyone has ever given me!" Izuku cried, and Katsuki knew he was over-reacting, always moved to tears way too quickly, but he meant every word. Katsuki felt the same, though. It was the fucking best gift he'd ever gotten. It wasn't the flowers themselves, it was everything. The reminder of one of the best days of his life. He felt warmth spreading though his body and he even felt like crying goddamn it. He wasn't a sap, but... proud love without compromise? Fuck yeah.

"Don't cry, Papa!" Kana cried, "You're making me cry!"

Izuku laughed wetly as Kana took his face in her small hands and kissed his nose. Both of them were covered in tears and snot with matching brighter-than-the-goddamn-sun-smiles plastered across their faces. Katsuki let his own small smile slip onto his face, he felt so fucking lucky.

"Come daddy!" Kana said opening her arms wide, asking him to join the group hug.

"No way, clean up that mess first." he said pointing at her wet face.

"Daddy!" Kana said exasperatedly at the same time Izuku said, "Kacchan!"

Katsuki rolled his eyes and snorted. He began to kneel, but something in his peripheral vision caught his attention, just past the large glass windows... Crimson eyes widened,

"GET DOWN!" He screamed.

Katsuki lunged, his arm flew over Izuku's back, his own body pushing his husband into the ground over top of Kana. The windows blew in, heat and shattered glass raining down on them. His ears were ringing, but Katsuki ignored it in favour of pushing himself up. His muscles ached from the force of the blast, but he couldn't feel any pain worth worrying over, but maybe that was the adrenaline. "Izuku! Kana!" his eyes quickly scanned over them for injuries, but he saw none. His hand immediately went to Kana's face, checking again to see if she was okay. Only dust and dirt from the explosion lingered on their clothes. It wasn't a huge blast, not as big a he thought it was going to be. The force of it wasn't strong enough to break anything other than the glass windows. But that itself could be deadly enough. But, fuck! What the hell just happened?!

"Kacchan! Katsuki, are you okay?" Izuku asked, frantically stumbling to his knees with Kana held protectively against his chest. The disorientation was real, "Wh- where did that blast come from?! Is it a villain?" Izuku coughed on a lung full of smoke that was rising from the fires along the street making the air thick and suffocating. People's terrified screams only added to the chaos that was unfolding in around them. "Wh- Kacchan you're bleeding!"

"Don't fucking worry about me. It's just a scratch, we need to get Kana the fuck out of here!" Katsuki said, ignoring the pain in his shoulder, he could feel a sticky wetness staining his shirt. He must have been cut by the glass that flew everywhere. More screaming could be heard outside, along with explosions and it didn't take Katsuki long to realize that a full scale attack was going on the street. And from what he heard, there wasn't a pro hero on scene yet.

"I know! But the people- I can't just leave them!" Izuku said, staring at Katsuki with frantic, pleading eyes.

He let out a frustrated growl, but didn't protest. "I know! Fuck! Okay, just give me Kana." Katsuki got to his feet, pulling Izuku up with him before taking Kana from him, she stared at them, her emerald eyes wide with fear and confusion.

"Papa! Wh- what's wrong, why- I'm scared!" Kana cried, her small hands trembling.

"It's okay, baby. It's going to be okay. Stay with daddy." Izuku said, taking her face in his hands and kissing her forehead softly. He looked up at Katsuki, his face becoming more serious, a swirl of emotions swimming in his jade eyes. Izuku soared forward, catching Katsuki's lips in his own in a quick, but meaningful kiss. Their foreheads resting together for a moment, eyes closed.

"You better fucking come back to us, 'Zuku." Katsuki muttered,

Izuku backed away, nodding with a reassuring smile. "Always." Then he was gone in a flash of green, taking half of Katsuki's heart with him. The other half held tightly in his arms.

"Papa!" Kana cried, her arms reaching out.

"We need to move." Katsuki said, more to himself than anything. The longer they stayed, the more likely it was that they would get caught in the middle of the fight and he wasn't so sure he could keep Kana safe if they did.

Katsuki heard a quiet groan behind him and his eyes widened as he whipped around. The old woman that had been running the store when the explosion went off was lying on the ground covered in soot. "God fucking damn it!" he growled as he set Kana on the ground and pulling her towards the lady. As much as he wanted to take Kana out and get her a safe distance away before coming back to help Izuku, he couldn't just leave her. He was a fucking Hero for fuck's sake. With or without the suit.

His feet crunched loudly on the glass as he made his way across the room. He began to kneel down next to the shop owner when a distinct clanking sound behind him caught his attention. The small round cylinder landed just outside the broken glass door and Katsuki immediately knew what it was.

A grenade.

Katsuki threw his hands in front of him, palms facing outward as he let an explosion rip from his body just as the grenade exploded. He was pushed off his feet from the force of the combined blasts, but it wasn't nearly as bad as it would have been if he hadn't shielded them with his own explosion. He breathed heavily, sweat dripping down his face, mixing with the dirt and blood all over him. He pushed himself up, standing shakily and was just turning around when the building creaked.

Then the ceiling caved in.

* * *

Katsuki fell to his knees, staring at the destruction around him. Fire and smoke swirling around the ruble, obstructing his view and threatening to suffocate him. Blood trickled from his ears but Katsuki barely noticed. He vaguely registered the voices of the newly arrived heroes on the street over the loud ringing he heard. His eyes travelled over the mountain of fallen concrete ceiling where Kana had been. But she wasn't there. The old woman was still there, by some strike of luck she hadn't been crushed. Kana had been right next to her when he turned around, but he couldn't see her.

"Kana..." he said, his voice barely came out above a whisper and sounded weak to his own ears, but he didn't really care. His arm reached out as he pushed himself to his feet. His legs trembled, but he forced himself to stand. Blood rushed in his head as he took a step towards the ruble. "No..." he rasped. His heart began to ram against his ribs and his chest and throat felt tight. "No. God fuck.. please.. no."

Kana wasn't under that ruble... she wasn't. She couldn't be. That- this wasn't happening.

"Kana!" He called louder.

No response.

Katsuki stumbled over the broken flower pot, the pink flowers completely destroyed and he suddenly couldn't _breathe_.

He couldn't catch his breath-

The air itself was suffocating.

He ran forward, dropping next to the spot Kana had been, but _wasn't_.

"No, no, no, no, no! Kana!"

He barely processed what he was doing as he dug into the pile, ignoring the old woman beside him. He couldn't hear anything over the sound of blood rushing in his ears, he didn't even notice when he started screaming.

A pair of arms wrapped around him from behind, pulling him from the ruble he had been searching through.

"...chan!"

Katsuki struggled against them, kicking and thrashing, "Stop! Kana! Fuck, she's in there! Let me go!" His vision began to blur, and the arms tightened around him. But he didn't stop. He needed to get to her. She could be hurt and scared.

"...kay!"

"FUCK! LET ME GO!"

"KATSUKI STOP!"

Katsuki stopped and the arms released him, albeit hesitantly. He turned to see a blurry distorted version of Izuku and he swore his heart stopped.

"Kana-"

"She's okay, Katsuki." He said, his voice trembling. His hands were firmly gripping Katsuki's biceps to keep him still.

"What do you mean she's okay? She's fucking-"

"The shop keeper used her quirk. Kana's not under there. It's okay, she's okay, Kacchan."

"THEN WHERE THE FUCK IS SHE?"

"She's in the past, Kacchan. She was sent back eleven years. It's okay. We'll get her back. We'll get her back no matter what." Izuku said wrapping his arms around Katsuki tightly, as if he would fall apart any other way.

"How do we get her back?" Izuku asked, and Katsuki knew he wasn't talking to him, but the old woman who had apparently sent her back in time.

"I'm sorry. I can't bring her back." The woman said in a regretful tone. Katsuki rounded on her.

"What the fuck does that mean?" He snarled. What the hell did she mean she couldn't bring he back? She sent her back with no way to bring her back?

"It means someone must go back and retrieve her. I can't bring you back, but if you find me in the past I can send you forward." The woman replied shakily.

"I'll go." Katsuki said quickly.

"Kacchan- You're hurt. You have to rest, I'll go and bring her back-" Izuku began,

"No. It's my fucking fault. I'm going." He said, straightening his back. He needed to be the one to bring her back.

Izuku looked like he wanted to protest, but he just bit his lip and nodded.

"It is detrimental that you do not make contact with anyone in the past, doing so could cause the future- or our present, to change. Especially with people you know, unless it is absolutely necessary." The old woman said severely.

Katsuki just nodded and the woman told him the address at which he could find her past self to help them get back. He repeated it in his head a few times to make sure he wouldn't forget and turned to Izuku. Tears gathered in his eyes as he finally began to cry, clutching the fabric in front of his heart, Izuku dropped to his knees. "Please bring our daughter back, Kacchan." He wailed.

"I will. I promise I will. Wait for us, 'Zuku."

So now you know how Kana was transported into the past! Yay? I've dropped a little clue in there for you all that is extremely important so I really hope you noticed! As for the origin of Deku's rule for not calling them 'daddy' or 'papa' in their heroes costumes... Anyone see that coming? Yes? No? Maybe? Didn't really care? Let me know what you think.

Katsuki's devotion to his family am I right?

His calmer personality has to do with the fact that his temper was something that was endangering his family so he learned to get that under control. Plus, being around Izuku (and Kana when she was 'born') all the time with his sweet, peace and love personality also contributed to that. I hope he didn't seem out of character, but he's 28 at the time so... yeah. ^_^

Comments give me life! Even if its just a keyboard smash 3


	5. Sweet Confusion

"Calm the fuck down, Deku and tell me what happened." Katsuki snapped, pushing himself off of his mattress in one swift movement. His heart was starting to pound, blood rushing in his ears and his stomach was knotting up uncomfortably, but he did his damnedest to ignore the feeling because surely he had fucking heard Deku wrong. The nerd tended to over-exaggerate - not really - when he was worried, so this had to be one of those times. Something happened to make him think there was something wrong and he was just panicking. There was no way she was actually disappearing if she wasn't going back to her time, it didn't make any fucking sense for that to happen. She had to be going back and Deku was just over-reacting.

Deku looked up, eyes wide as he stared at Katsuki, still cradling Kana to his chest. "I-I don't know! I went to change in the bathroom and when I came out she was flickering, she was transparent! Kacchan, my _hand_ went _through_ her! It was like she was disappearing, but then she just came back like normal and- and she was confused for a second and I don't know why. If she was going back, she should've just gone, right? She shouldn't become intangible-"

"Deku! Calm. Down." Katsuki said, interrupting his rambling. He knew from experience that if he didn't stop him now, he was going to think of every single possibility of what could be happening no matter how low the chances were and overwhelm them both into panicking. And quite frankly Katsuki was not in the mood for that. The younger boy shut his mouth abruptly, his chest was heaving and it didn't take a genius to guess he had run up the stairs from the second floor as fast as he could in his panic. Deku nodded his head a few too many times as he calmed himself.

"Daddy, what's wrong? Why is Deku upset?" Kana asked with a look of concern and confusion and... fear? Yeah, Deku was freaking out a bit, but he couldn't have done much for her to think something was really wrong. Okay, maybe there _was_ something wrong, but Katsuki refused to believe that she was actually disappearing. It made no sense. He was probably tired from their internships and just imagining things.

"Nothing's wrong. Deku's fine, _right_ nerd?" Katsuki snapped shooting a look at the panicking boy pacing his room and trying not to mutter. Deku's eyes found his and they widened in realization. Fucking took him long enough to notice Kana was picking up on the anxious energy he was giving off. Katsuki didn't need both of them freaking out because of a misunderstanding. Because it _was _a misunderstanding.

God fuck, he felt like a broken record was playing in his head, _Everything is okay, nothing is wrong. Everything is okay, nothing-_

"Y-yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry about me. " Deku said quickly and Katsuki had to suppress a groan because there was no way that sounded convincing, even to a four year old. Well, almost five apparently, but he didn't bother with the technicalities. That wasn't even important right now, why the fuck was he thinking about it? _Focus_.

Deku wasn't good at lying, he never had been, but he was an expert at hiding his true feelings. He'd been doing it his whole life. It was one thing Katsuki didn't know if it was his fault or not. On one side, Deku was so self-sacrificing that he never showed what he was feeling if he thought it would be a burden to anyone around him. On the other, Katsuki used to pick on the boy for every little thing. If he was smiling, he had done everything he could to crush it, if he was crying he called him a wimp, loser,_ baby, useless_\- Maybe it was both. The only semi-good thing about it was Katsuki could tell when no one else could.

"Something _is_ wrong." Kana insisted, looking at Deku with pursed lips and critical eyes, "I'm little, not stupid. I know when daddy or Deku are upset." Right, she had that sassy side, too.

To his surprise, Deku started laughing. It wasn't completely mirthful, he could still hear the nervousness in his voice, but at least he wasn't as panicked now. It was kind of bizarre how she could change his mood so quickly with a snappy comment. Obviously he was still worried, but Katsuki could tell he was calming down, actually calming down and not pretending to.

Or losing it completely, that was also an option.

Kana looked at Katsuki with a raised brow, like she was wondering what she said had been funny, Katsuki could only shrug because hell if he knew. Kana gave a sort of incredulous and curious smile and despite the earlier 'problem', his own lips twitched. God there were some real weirdo's in this family- _family. Fuck. _When the fuck did he start thinking that? Katsuki clenched his teeth and pushed the rogue thought that invaded his head. He already fucking decided he wasn't going to tell Izuku, it wasn't fair to him.

"Sorry, I'm sorry, it's just, you really are Kacchan's daughter." Deku said after he finished laughing, slightly out of breath. His cheeks were tinged pink over his freckles from his outburst and it was only just noticeable in the dim light of Katsuki's lamp. He almost looked angelic and he found himself staring, but the words Deku had said did something to his chest that stopped him. It was weird, an all around just _off_ feeling. It didn't feel _right, _but he couldn't put his finger on the why.

"You tell me that all of the time!" Kana said grinning at Deku. He emerald eyes shinning happily. All the earlier fear and confusion was gone much to his relief. He couldn't explain it, but it was kind of fucking with him seeing her so upset. It was different than the other times she had cried or almost cried, it felt more _real_ somehow. Maybe it had to do with before she was transported back in time. When Deku _disappeared_. He assumed it had to do with a villain attack, because why the fuck would his future self or Deku's send her back in the first place, and all alone at that?

"Do I?" Deku asked, looking at Katsuki for a moment before turning back to Kana, forgetting the reason he came up for a moment.

Katsuki stiffened slightly. That was relatively safe territory for her to talk about, but it did hint that they were pretty close in the future, only Deku didn't know just how close they _really_ were.

"Uhuh! You say I'm tough just like daddy, too!" Kana exclaimed excitedly.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah!"

Katsuki shoulder's slumped a bit in exhaustion as he sat on his bed and ran a hand through his hair. He was tired after being on guard almost the whole day and even more after his almost-panic when Deku said she was disappearing. He didn't know what that was about, but obviously the conversation wasn't over yet. They just couldn't talk about it in front of her, it was probably going to cause her to panic and they didn't need that. So changing the subject for a moment- even if it was unintentional- was probably a good idea. It was her bedtime soon- well it was _his _bedtime soon and he refused to let her stay up later than eight thirty when he rarely ever did.

"And Deku says I have the same pretty hair as daddy!" Kana told Deku, pointing at her hair. "See?"

Katsuki's eyes widened and he felt his entire face heat up as he turned to look at Deku who was now sitting on the ground next to Kana. His hand that was still in his hair dropped onto his lap and _god fucking damnit _why was he so self-conscious today? Jade eyes followed the movement and Deku bit his bottom lip lightly as if he was thinking and smiled mischievously, looking back at Kana for a second before he levelled Katsuki with his gaze, his own cheeks dusted pink.

"It's just as pretty as Kacchan's." Deku agreed,

Without thinking, Katsuki slammed a pillow into Deku's face from across the room knocking him over with the force of the blow. "Deku!" He yells, because that's all he can think of saying.

What the _fuck_ was that? He didn't mean that right? He was just indulging Kana, he didn't really think Katsuki's hair was... _pretty_. And Katsuki was not happy about it, not at all. Not fucking one single bit. _Nope_.

His heart was pounding in his chest and the heat in his face wouldn't go away damnit. Stupid unwanted, unwelcome fluttering warmth in his stomach go DIE goddamnit.

The nerd landed on his back with a quiet "oof" and started giggling, "Hey, Kacchan what was that-" As soon as he peeked out from beneath the pillow, Katsuki hit him with another. Kana was giggling too and Katsuki couldn't help the grin that tugged at his lips as he brandished another pillow. Fuck it. He could have this, they were still friends if nothing else. He could ignore the butterflies in his stomach, pretend they were from the building excitement or some other shit. Not because Deku had just blushed, light pink dusting his freckled cheeks as he called his hair _pretty. _

Deku whipped a pillow at Katsuki before he had the chance to move and stood up, grinning. "You little shit," Katsuki said playfully, fully accepting the challenge Deku so obviously offered. No way he was going to back down from a challenge, especially from Deku.

A pillow fight was childish, but it felt... good to let loose in a way that didn't involve actual sparring and beating the fuck out of each other (for school obviously) - and wow that sounded worse than it ever did before. He'd never actually done this before - even if his first intention when he threw that first pillow wasn't to start a pillow fight - he'd never done a lot of things before he and Deku were friends again, but the green-haired boy was the only one he felt _this_ comfortable with. He was embarrassed to say the last time someone tried to start a pillow fight with him, he blew up. Literally. Feathers were everywhere. No one dared throw another pillow at him after that. Well, until now.

"Look who started it," Deku teased back, brandishing his own pillow. His jade eyes were shinning with an excitement and fierce competitiveness that he only ever saw when Deku was readying for a fight. The corners of his eyes crinkled sweetly when he smiled, a feature Katsuki always found himself noticing, a feature he only ever saw when it was being directed at him. _It was his smile,_ Katsuki thought selfishly, _that smile belongs to me_. And he'd like to think it always would. Even if he wasn't worthy of it.

"Oh, it's fucking on, Deku!" Katsuki bared his teeth in a vicious grin.

"Pillow fight! Pillow fight!" Kana raised her fists in the air and started jumping.

Thus began the most violent pillow fight UA had seen in a long time. (Other than the times they threw some at Kana, of course.)

* * *

Katsuki laid on the ground next to Deku, panting and covered in sweat with his arms spread wide relishing the coolness of his floor on his back. His heart was still thrumming in his chest from the thrill and he was grinning lazily in the mess of the pillows. Kana was already passed out on his bed, and he had no doubt she was going to sleep right through the night- if she didn't already- tuckered out from playing. That was the most fucking fun he had had in a long time, but he could probably fall asleep on the spot if it wasn't for Deku speaking up.

"Kacchan?"

Katsuki grunted to let the other boy know he was paying attention.

"That was fun,"

"...Yeah," Katsuki said after a minute.

"I missed this..." He didn't have to finish, Katsuki knew exactly what he meant. Even after their fallout and they became friends again, they never really hung out all that much like they used to when they were still brats. It was... refreshing for lack of a better word. He really missed the dork. Not that he'd ever say that out loud. He'd just file that away with all the growing list of other things he was never going to tell him, because it wasn't fair for him to just dump his feelings on him after all these years.

Before either of them had another chance to speak, he heard a light grumble come from Deku. Katsuki snorted and sat up, craning his neck to look at Deku "You hungry, nerd?" he asked, but when he saw him, his mouth went dry. His green curls were sprawled out beneath him like a halo around his head and his cheeks were flushed pink over his freckles from the physical exertion of their pillow fight. If he could, he'd probably spend hours just counting the freckles that were sprinkled across his body...

Deku's face went red from what Katsuki assumed was embarrassment and covered his face with his hands, rolling onto his stomach. It was kind of cute... No. Go the fuck away, he didn't want to think about that... Katsuki vaguely remembered him doing the same thing when he was embarrassed when they were younger - before Katsuki got his quirk. Ugh. Stupid sour thoughts ruining everything.

He stood up and stuck out his hand to help Deku up, "Come on," he said. Deku rolled over and peeked through his hands at Katsuki before smiling so brightly he thought he was going to go blind, seemingly forgetting all about his earlier embarrassment. He took his hand and Katsuki hoisted him to his feet and pulled him towards the door. "When did you eat last?" He asked because he knew for a fact the nerd hadn't eaten dinner yet. He was probably to blame for that since Kana wouldn't leave the other boy without having a minor panic attack and he was too focused on keeping him from finding out that he didn't notice he hadn't eaten. The least he could do was cook him something to eat. Because he owed it to him... Definitely not because he wanted to. Not at fucking all.

"Wait, where are we going? What about Kana?" Izuku asked, looking over his shoulder at the sleeping girl curled up on Katsuki's bed, snoring lightly.

"I'll tell Shitty Hair to keep an eye on her. Now you gonna answer the question?"

When Deku hesitated, Katsuki stopped before opening the door and turned around to see him nervously scratching the back of his neck and avoiding his eye, "Uh, well I, um..."

Katsuki narrowed his eyes, "Don't fucking tell me it was breakfast." He said slowly,

"It wasn't breakfast!" Izuku said quickly, "I ate dinner..." Deku trailed off again and bit the inside of his cheek. No he fucking didn't. "...Yesterday?"

Katsuki's eyes practically bulged from his head as he growled out, "YESTERDAY? What the fuck, Deku?" What the hell was the idiot thinking? Was he trying to make himself sick? He'd been active all day without food, Katsuki was surprised he was still standing and not passed out somewhere; sick.

"It's not that I meant to! Things were just super busy today- we were going to get breakfast when a villain attacked and we didn't get around it afterwards-"

Katsuki growled, "How the fuck do you expect to become the Number One Hero if you don't even take care of yourself?"

Izuku opened his mouth to answer but Katsuki cut him off, "Don't answer that," he said, not even wanting to hear whatever he was going to say because he knew he was going to try and justify his bullshit reasoning. Instead Katsuki continued pulling him out of his room with the intention of going to the kitchen and stuffing the nerd with some food before he really did pass out.

His thumb absently trailed across scarred fingers and he found the action kind of... comforting somehow.

"Um, Kacchan? You're still- um, my hand...?"

Katsuki glanced to the side to see he still had Izuku's hand in his and ripped it away as if it burned him, stuffing them in his pocket instead. He felt blood rush to his cheeks and his hand still felt warm from holding Deku's. Fuck. "...sorry." he grumbled quietly, quickening his steps before stopping right in front of Kirishima's door and kicking it harder enough to wake the redhead if necessary. Damnit, he didn't even realize he had still been holding his hand.

"Kacchan, it's okay- I mean it didn't bot-"

Shitty Hair swung the door open and Izuku promptly shut his mouth. Katsuki scowled, his mood souring because he didn't get to hear what Deku had been going to say. Goddamnit.

"Oh, hey, Bakugou. What's up? It's weird seeing you up at this time." He said with a grin, his usual spiky red hair was deflated and fell down over his forehead. Katsuki glared, because obviously he was making fun of his early sleeping habits, again. Tch, fucking whatever, he could make fun of it all he wanted. While he was goes to bed late and wakes up tired, Katsuki wakes up rested and ready for the day. Take that motherfucker.

His red eyes glanced behind Katsuki where Izuku stood and his smile widened. "Hey, Midoriya! What're you two up to?" He asked Izuku, not even caring that Katsuki hadn't answered him.

"Hi, Kirishima!" Izuku greeted happily, "I don't know actually, we're going to the kitchen, I think?" He glanced at Katsuki for confirmation and he gave him a look that said 'What the fuck do you think?"

"Tch, watch Kana, she sleeping in my room. We'll be right back."

"Sure thing, bro! Uncle Eiji is here to babysit!" Kirishima piped, stepping out of his room and closing the door behind him. He smiled a little too brightly as his eyes darted from Deku to Katsuki and back again. Katsuki narrowed his eyes and glared at the other boy, daring him to say something else. He knew what Kirishima was thinking and he was going to kill him if he said it or anything like it out loud.

"Take a shower while you're at it, you guys stink." Kirishima said instead,

Katsuki hands come out of his pockets and he let his hands crackle and pop menacingly, "You want to fucking say that again?!" He snarled,

Kirishima just laughed and darted inside of Katsuki's room without another word. Katsuki growled as he glared at the door before turning to Deku, expecting to see him red and blushing or even apologetic from the comment, but instead he chuckles, eyes full of mirth and something else Katsuki couldn't put into words. "He's not wrong. Though you definitely smell better than I do. Sweet kind of, like.. candy..."

Heat rushed to his face and he almost choked on his own spit because holy fucking shit Izuku just said he smelt like candy. Of course he already knew this, the nitroglycerin in his sweat made it smell sweet instead of what it should, but no one ever outright told him he smelt like candy. And if he was being honest with himself he kind of li- NOPE. Not going there. If he went down that rabbit hole of thoughts, no way was he ever getting out.

"Whatever fucking Deku, let's go." He said quickly in a sad attempt at nonchalance, facing away from the nerd to hide the blush covering his cheeks and started walking back down the hall towards the elevator. He tried futility to calm his erratic heart with quiet deep breaths, but he didn't get far before a hand snaked its way into his and intertwined their fingers before Katsuki could even process what was happening. He looked over at Deku with wide eyes who had pink dusting his cheeks and his eyes forward like nothing happened- like he didn't just send Katsuki's mind into overdrive- and he couldn't fucking pull his hand away. Like father like daughter, it was witchcraft if you asked Katsuki. What the hell was with Kana and Izuku that made him unable to pull away when they touched him?! God fucking damnit, this was not supposed to be happening. What the fuck was _even_ happening?

Katsuki's free hand twitched and his mind was reeling. Didn't he just fucking make up his mind that this wasn't something he was going to let happen, not something that he wanted to happen? Of course he fucking _wanted_ it to happen, but that wasn't the issue. The issue was that it _was_ happening when it shouldn't be. Izuku deserved someone better, someone that wasn't Katsuki. Yet here he was holding Deku's hand like it was a possibility, because Izuku grabbed his hand and he couldn't let go. He didn't want to. Because that made a lot of fucking sense.

God, he was so fucking confused.

What the hell happened to his previous resolve?

They walked down the hall to the elevator silently, neither one breathing a word about what was happening, as if they spoke it would break the spell that had seemingly be cast over them. Deku's hand felt warm in his own and he was only sweating a _little_ in his nervousness. He fucking hoped the nerd didn't notice. Fuck, no that wasn't the thing he should be worried about, he should be worried about why it was happening in the first place. Why the hell did Izuku grab his hand?

They reached the ground floor and Katsuki immediately unthreaded his hand from Izuku's, "Go take a shower. I'll cook something." He grumbled, avoiding Deku's eye.

"Really? Kacchan's going to cook for me?!" He asked excitedly, his eyes practically shinning when Katsuki turned back to him.

"That's what I fucking said. Now hurry up before I change my mind."

"Okay! Okay! I'm going!" He said with a laugh holding up his hands in a sort of surrender, before stalking down the opposite hall Katsuki was going in to the boys locker and shower room. The blonde made his way to the kitchen and got to work cooking katsudon with the pork he saw in the fridge earlier in the day.

* * *

"Wah, Kachhan, this is amazing! It's delicious!" Izuku gushed after they settled at a table with their food. The greenette had finished his shower a few minutes after the katsudon was ready and wasted no time digging into his food. A white towel was wrapped around his neck catching the drops of water falling from his still-wet green curls.

"Of course it fucking is. I made it." He replied smugly. His elbow was propped up on the table and he rested his cheek in his hand, just watching Izuku eat. His own bowl of katsudon sitting untouched in front of him. The only light was the automatic low-lit lamps, but Katsuki didn't mind. At least this way Deku couldn't see the steady blush that just didn't seem to want to go away.

Izuku rolled his eyes in good humor but made no move to deny it. "Yes, we all know it, Kacchan's amazing." He said with a cheeky grin.

"Fuck yeah I am." He said with a grin before digging into his own food. It was good, but not nearly as spicy enough, but that was fine just this once. Once he finished his and Deku got his second(because fuck Katsuki was going to stuff the nerd until he caught up with all the meals he skipped), Katsuki walked around to stand behind him and the nerd raised an eyebrow- his mouth too full to talk as Katsuki started drying his hair. "You're going to catch a fucking cold, stupid." He grumbled. Izuku hummed in reply and continued eating as Katsuki massaged the towel in his hair. The silence was comfortable, familiar.

His hair smelt like honey and cinnamon, Katsuki had to actively resist just leaning down to just breathe in the fresh smell that was so distinctly _Deku._ The green curls were way softer than he would've guessed by just looking at it, and as Katsuki ran his fingers through it he noticed it was silky as fuck, no knots or tangles whatsoever. Shit, maybe Katsuki should switch his shampoo if it left his hair like _this_. Or maybe it was just the nerds natural hair? Whatever the fuck it was, Katsuki liked playing with his silky green curls that refused to knot up no matter what he did. He couldn't believe he thought that Izuku's hair was a mess before.

Katsuki nearly jumped out of his own skin when Izuku reached up and grabbed one of his hands. Frozen in confusion, Katsuki just stared wide eyed as his hand was pulled towards Izuku's face, his fingertips grazing against his cheek just barely. A ghost of a touch Izuku's lips brushed against his palm and Katsuki died and went to heaven because there was no fucking way this was real. He must have dozed off from exhaustion at the table and was face down in his katsudon at this very moment.

Holy fucking shit where did this bold Izuku come from?

No, that was wrong. Izuku had always been bold despite what people may think, even more so since their second semester in their first year. He just wasn't _this_ bold, especially not with Katsuki and fuck did he _like_ it- no STOP goddamnit. Could he not go five fucking minutes without thinking about the the stupid-_stupidly attractive_-nerd? Like now. Katsuki wasn't known for having a one-track mind, but that was what it seemed like when it came to him lately. It was like all his brain could think was Izuku. Izuku. Izuku. _Izuku_-

"Kacchan?"

Katsuki blinked. Deku was standing in front of him now, his face scrunched up lightly with concern. His hand was hovering next to Katsuki's cheek but not quite touching it, like he was worried about his reaction to the touch. Strange. When the hell did that happen? He didn't even remember when Deku stood up.

"Huh?" Came his completely intelligent response.

"You were just staring at me," Izuku said, his voice barely above a whisper as his cheeks tinted pink, "And you said my name, but it was like you weren't actually talking to me?" he finished, looking intently into Katsuki's crimson eyes like he was searching for something.

Fuck. He said that out loud.

Was this what it was like for Izuku all the time? Thinking about something so much that his mouth just didn't want to keep the thoughts inside and blurted them out without permission? How the hell did he deal with that all the time? Katsuki felt mortified, he'd never mumbled anything without intentionally saying it out loud before and it just had to be 'Izuku' while he was right in front of him. It was like his body was fighting against what his brain wanted; and that was to keep his feeling to himself.

"Are you okay, Kacchan?" He asked when Katsuki didn't reply.

Finally gaining some control of himself, he tried to relax his body like he wasn't just freaking out earlier and brushed off Izuku's worry. The nerd didn't look convinced but he didn't push it. Katsuki washed the dishes while Izuku dried and put away; all this happened in silence, but Katsuki would be stupid if he didn't notice the obvious shift in atmosphere. He wouldn't be able to tell anyone what exactly changed, but something did, for worse or for better.

It was nearing ten when they began to make their way back to their rooms. Izuku started to reach for his hand but Katsuki quickly shoved them into his pockets as discreetly as he could and kept walking. He glanced at him out of the corner of his eye to see Deku biting his bottom lip and furrowing his eyebrows in confusion. He was confused. Well, so was Katsuki. They were fucking even.

When they got on the elevator Katsuki realized Izuku had no intention of going back to his own room as he hit the button for floor four.

"Deku..." He said slowly,

Izuku stood tall, facing him with a determined look. "I know what you're going to say, but I'm not going until I know she's alright. I wasn't imagining things, something happened to her earlier, I just don't know what. I know we don't understand everything about the quirk and it could just be a side effect, but I'm not going to risk the off chance there is something wrong." He said. The blonde was glad he wasn't freaking out like earlier.

Katsuki sighed knowing full well that he wasn't going to change his mind no matter what he said, "Fine." He relented, "Aizawa-sensei is trying to find out more about the quirk and a way to send her back, we'll tell him tomorrow. I ain't gonna get in trouble for disturbing him this late if it turns out nothing's wrong."

"Okay," Is all he said.

"Okay," Katsuki echoed as they stepped off the elevator. There was probably more to be said, but they could wait to talk to Aizawa tomorrow morning to do that.

He ignores Shitty Hair's stupid grin and thumbs up when he leaves, too tired to yell at the idiot and instead just plops himself onto his bed and leans his back against the wall. Izuku sits beside him, crossed legged as he leaned his head against the wall and shut his eyes. Katsuki side-eyed him. "You know you're sleeping on the floor, right?"

Izuku snaps his eyes open, "Wah, but Kacchan!" He pouts, "It's so uncomfortable, I'll hurt my back if I sleep on the floor!"

"Not my problem, nerd. You wanted to stay here, go right fucking ahead, but there's no room on the bed." They could probably make room, but he didn't even want to think about what _making room_ would entail. It wasn't as if he thought it was a bad idea, it just wasn't an option. He was _not_ about to cuddle with the nerd, even if it was so tempting.

Izuku gapes, "Kacchan! There's room!" He insists, Katsuki stiffened slightly, "We can sleep sitting upright!" Oh. Of course he would think of something like that, Katsuki thought as he relaxed again.

"And have a sore neck in the morning? Count me fucking out."

"There's enough pillows, you can make it so you won't hurt your neck!" He says pointing at Katsuki's abundance of pillows. Katsuki's eye twitches and he growls lightly. Pushy little bastard.

"Fuck! Fine!" He relented. Izuku was looking at him with those goddamn puppy dog eyes and he could fucking say no.

"Yay!" He almost squealed as he started plucking all the pillows off the ground and pile them onto the bed and arranging them.

"Tch, damn nerd." He grumbled to himself as he tried to get comfortable with the pillows next to Izuku. Kana was still sound asleep snuggled up in the corner of Katsuki's bed like a dog or something, he found it funny that she didn't even stir when they were being loud. Just like Deku, she slept like a fucking rock.

"Good night, Kacchan!" Izuku whispered happily as Katsuki clicked the lamp off.

"Tch, night, nerd." He whispered back.

Too tired to worry about his less than comfortable position, it doesn't take Katsuki long to slip into sleep, but as soon as it came Katsuki's eyes snapped open and his body jolted forward as realization hit him like a ton of fucking bricks. Suddenly all Deku's actions earlier made sense. He felt so fucking stupid for not noticing it before, he should've known, even _without_ _noticing_.

Izuku was in love with him, too.

Fuck.


	6. Flicker

Honey and cinnamon.

That's the first thing that comes to his mind when Katsuki stirs awake. It's gentle, soothing in a way he didn't know could be soothing(who the fuck knew a _smell_ could be _soothing_ of all things to Katsuki Bakugou?) He can't help but chase it, nuzzling his nose further into the source of the sweet smell and breathing deeply. Whatever it was, it was also warm as fuck. He tightened his grip, dragging the source of warmth closer to him. One of his legs was thrown over it, entrapping it completely. He felt the most comfortable he's ever been upon waking up. Katsuki thought, maybe he should be concerned about the mysterious, sweet-smelling heat bag in his bed, but in his hazy, half-asleep state, couldn't find it in himself to care. He could deal with that when he decided to actually open his eyes and get up, but that time was not now.

The dull orange light behind his eyelids was beginning to piss him off in his endeavors to fall back asleep. He growled and yanked the covers over his head, sighing in relief as the darkness enveloped him again. Katsuki nuzzled his nose back into the soft curls. He knew it was long past the time he usually got up at, but he had been awake far too long last night after his... _discovery(_he tried not to think about it. It wasn't as if Izuku had told him he loved him, Katsuki just came to the conclusion on his own and he could be completely wrong) not to mention everything else that had gone on the day before. He was allowed to sleep in some days. There was no school to get ready for and Kana was probably still asleep if he couldn't hear her. There was no reason to get up from the comfy haven that was his bed, yet. He wouldn't have been able to go for a run even if he had decided to get up at his usual time anyway.

Contrary to popular belief in class 3-A, Katsuki was _not _a morning person. It was only by his sheer force of will and his determination to be the best that got him up at six every morning. You could imagine what his mornings were like when he didn't have anything to do.

"Kacchan?" Izuku asked, his groggy voice cutting through the silence and startling Katsuki, who had almost fallen back asleep. He growled lightly at the disruption and didn't bother opening his eyes, not that it would've helped him even if he did, the blanket was still covering his head. "Kacchan?" Izuku said again. His voice was much closer and less muffled than it should've been considering there was a blanket between them. Tch, whatever. He just wanted to go back to sleep.

"Fuck off, Deku.'m tryin' ta sleep," Katsuki grumbled, snuggling closer into his cocoon of blanket and pillows and... whatever the hell that was, burying his nose into it. The thing twitched and he heard a strangled giggled from Izuku.

"Ka-kacchan! Stop, t-that tickles!" He squeaked, shuffling his body again. Deku's voice sounded suspiciously close, like right-next-to-his-ear close. Katsuki's eyes snapped open and in the dim light leaking in through a hole near the top of his head where the blanket didn't cover, he was greeted with the sight of curly green hair and creamy freckle-dotted skin. One of his arms was resting underneath his mossy head, and the other was tightly wrapped around Izuku's waist. Deku's back was flush against his chest and his legs were trapped beneath one of Katsuki's own.

In short, Katsuki was clinging to Izuku like a fucking koala.

And that sweet smell? It was his shampoo, the scent still lingering in his hair, where Katsuki's nose was currently buried in.

He looked up when Izuku's body stopped twitching, his giggles fading. Crimson eyes widened when they met hazy jade ones mere inches from his face that blinked slowly. His sleep riddled brain probably trying to process what exactly was going on. Hell if Katsuki knew. He had no fucking clue how they ended up laying on the bed or how he started _cuddling _him in the first place. Another thing that caught his attention was that - and this may just be because he was still half asleep - Izuku didn't even look bothered by it in the slightest.

Kana, on the opposite side of Izuku as Katsuki, was also clinging to him in her sleep. Her face buried in his chest and one of her hands were gripping his curls, her mouth was wide open; a thin line of drool leaking down her chin and she was snoring lightly, which Deku also seemed unbothered by. Or maybe his brain just didn't fully register any of the things that were going on around him.

Like Katsuki's full-body hold on him.

He shot up and away from Izuku as if the other boy had just burst into flames. The blanket that had been a comfort moments earlier only tangled up around his body, causing him to fall off his bed in his haste to get away. He landed with a thud on his ass and he hissed, his back colliding with his desk with enough force to shake it. Katsuki tore the blanket off his head, looking up just in time to see one of his textbooks hurling towards his face. Pain flared in his nose and he felt a wetness trickle over his mouth and chin.

"Ow! Motherfucker!" He snarled, bringing one of his hands to his bleeding nose.

All of this happened in about three seconds.

"Oh, my god! Kacchan, are you okay?" Izuku shouted frantically, scrambling off the bed and stumbling towards him and dropping onto his knees in front of him. His fall must have been enough to wake Deku up because his voice no longer heavy with sleep.

Katsuki looked up at Izuku, squinting from the pain. His hair was flattened on one side and the other was sticking up messily, more so than Katsuki had ever seen it. He immediately knew it was because Kana had slept with her hand threaded through it for who knew how long. Izuku's hands were waving wildly around his face as he shouted about blood and tissue. His jade eyes scanned the entire room quickly, too quickly to really be searching for anything to help stanch the blood flow.

He must've come up empty because before Katsuki could process what was going on, Izuku slipped his shirt off and was bunching it up and dapping his face - he may have said something, but Katsuki didn't hear it - Katsuki blinked and his cheeks started heating up despite himself, staring at the bare, freckled chest as if it was the first time he ever saw him shirtless. Which was ridiculous because he saw him shirtless almost everyday in the locker room after combat training, this shouldn't be any different.

But it was.

It felt oddly intimate.

_Too intimate_.

"The fuck you doin' shitty nerd? You're ruining your shirt, dumbass!" He blurted, hoping Izuku hadn't noticed him staring and because he couldn't think of anything else to say in this admittedly embarrassing situation. Still, he grabbed the shirt and pressed it under his nose better -_ it already had blood on it, shut up_. He could feel Izuku's worried eyes on him - he could_ feel_ it and not _see_ it because he was completely avoiding looking at him.

This was not how he thought his morning would go. For one he never would've began to imagine he would wake up clinging to the nerd. Especially after everything that went down the day before. How the fuck had that even happened anyway? He had been sitting upright, leaning against the wall and nowhere near where the spot he woke up in when he went to sleep. Had he moved in the middle of the night and was so tired that he just didn't remember? Seemed more likely than if he moved when he was still asleep. That still left the question of how Deku had gotten there.

Did he...

Did Katsuki _bring_ him down with him? There was no way Izuku had moved in the middle of the night unless it was intentional. He remembered that when they were having sleepovers as kids, Izuku slept like a rock. Literally. He wasn't a heavy sleeper, no that wasn't it, he meant when Deku fell asleep, he didn't move from the position he fell asleep in. Katsuki on the other hand - though he denied it vehemently - was very touchy-feely in his sleep. (Kana had obviously inherited that from him if her sleeping with a hand fisted in Izuku's hair meant anything.)

So, yeah Katsuki had to have been the cause of it. Fuck.

"It's fine, Kacchan. It's just a sleep shirt and the blood will come out fine with stain remover- is that really what you're worried about right now? Your nose could be broken!" Irrational anger flared in his chest at those words, but it was more of a default reaction wired into him from years of believing Izuku looked down on him, not because he was really angry.

"S'not broken. I'm not a weak little bitch, I don't need your help, Deku." He bit out harshly. Katsuki snapped his mouth shut and glared at the ground. He regretted the words as soon as they left his mouth, but he didn't know how to take them back. Funny how he claimed to love Izuku when he so easily reverted back into the asshole he was before, even if it was only reflexively. They were fucking over that already. Why the fuck couldn't he move past it? Izuku forgave him when he built up enough courage to apologize in their second year. They were friends now.

But that was it, wasn't it?

He didn't _deserve_ it.

Izuku didn't so much as bat an eyelash at his outburst and Katsuki didn't know how he felt about that. He hoped it was because he knew he didn't mean it and not because he was just so used to his angry outbursts. "Of course, not. I wasn't implying you were." He said simply. It made Katsuki wonder just when did Izuku become so at ease around him. "But, you know, Kacchan? It's okay to accept help from people, it doesn't make you weak." Not for the first time, Katsuki found himself really thinking about those words instead of instantly rejecting them. When did he start sounding so reasonable? So _convincing? _

Without thinking, Katsuki glanced back at Izuku who was smiling softly at him. It made his heart twist painfully and warm simultaneously. He felt the urge to clutch his chest and rid himself of the feeling, but he couldn't do anything without notifying Izuku that something was wrong. He settled for digging his nails into the palm of his hand.

_Stop_,

_Don't look at me like that. _

_Don't look at me as if I'm someone deserving of your love._

"Whatever," Katsuki mumbled just loud enough for Izuku to hear. The latter smiled even wider at that, he almost felt the need to shield his eyes before Izuku's bright smile blinded him.

_I'm not_.

The rustling of bedsheets caught Izuku's attention and he turned, giving Katsuki a direct view of a sleep-ruffled Kana sitting up sleepily and rubbing her eyes with a tiny fist. Her ash-blonde hair was like a mane around her head, curls sticking up in nearly every direction.

Izuku laughed lightly before standing up and going to Katsuki's closet and pulling out a shirt before muttering a small "Kacchan?" as if he was asking permission. Katsuki grunted out a "Fine," and pulled himself off the ground to sit at his desk. He wasn't going to deny him permission to use his clothes when he was literally wiping the blood off his face with Izuku's.

The black shirt Izuku slipped on was loose around his chest, not fitting like they were on Katsuki, but not noticeably big on him. Izuku was smaller than him, but not by much. The only thing that was noticeable about it if anyone else were to see him was that it was most definitely not his shirt. It screamed 'Katsuki' with the white skull and crossbones printed across the front. Katsuki stared at him for a moment, but said nothing.

It was _not_ because he sort of liked seeing Izuku wearing his clothes fuck you very much.

"Good morning, Kana!" Izuku said brightly, his jade eyes sparkling with delight. He couldn't understand what about seeing Kana awake made Izuku look so happy, but he was similar when he was around other children, so maybe it was just children in general. He didn't mean that seeing Kana just waking up wasn't cute, _it was_, he just wasn't sure why he looked so _happy_ about it.

Kana didn't say anything, she only lifted her hands towards him with grabbing motions, signaling she wanted to be picked up. The greenette beamed and scooped her up where she wrapped one arm around his neck and the other went straight to his hair, knotting her chubby little fingers in the soft curls. She didn't seem to notice Katsuki holding a bloody shirt to his face and just closed her eyes sleepily. It was probably best she didn't, he didn't really want to potentially set her off first thing in the morning.

Katsuki watched Izuku hold her gently in his arms, mumbling words of comfort to her as she snuggled into him(which looked way too fucking domestic for Katsuki's poor heart) and let his own thoughts drift back to the moment before he flung himself off the bed like an idiot and gave himself a bloody nose(he panicked, okay?). He was just glad Deku didn't seem to realize what was happening or if he did, he was doing a good job of hiding it. Whatever the case, it meant Katsuki wouldn't have to try to explain himself, even if he didn't do it consciously. In fact, Katsuki had went to sleep as far away from the nerd as possible after the conclusion he came to regarding Izuku's actions.

Mostly because he refused to believe it. But also because it just made things a shit ton harder if it did turn out to be true. Not that it had worked at all, he still woke up clinging to Deku despite his efforts. It was strange how he would subconsciously seek Izuku out as a source of comfort, even if he was the cause of his distress in the first place. What the fuck was that about anyway? Seemed stupidly counterintuitive to him.

Izuku turned around to look at Katsuki, the movement pulling him out of his own head and making him look up, but the moment he did, Kana flickered. She fucking_ flickered _like she was disappearing. Her entire body going transparent and slipping right through Izuku's arms as if she were some kind of ghost and landing on the ground silently as if she had no weight. Her body flickered again and she was back to normal again; tangible and _not_ see-through anymore.

Katsuki stared wide-eyed, his hand slipping from his face to his lap and his jaw dropping, just like his heart. He glanced at Izuku who looked as pale as when he first brought her to Katsuki's room the night before, claiming something was wrong.

Kana blinked, looking up at him with a slight pout, tilting her head in confusion like she didn't just ghost through Izuku's arms a second before. "Why'd you put me down, P-"

"WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT?!"

* * *

Katsuki sat in an uncomfortable, black, plastic chair in the teachers lounge across from Aizawa's desk. His knee bounced in a nervous habit, shaking the small girl sitting on his lap, but she didn't seem to mind. Kana actually seemed to think it was fun or some other shit that he didn't understand, too caught up in his own head to listen to what she had been saying. Even so, he couldn't find it in himself to put her down after what he just saw.

Deku had been right before, Kana had flickered as if she was disappearing, becoming intangible and slipped right through his fucking arms and not because she was going back. It was almost like she ceased to exist for a moment and he didn't know how to handle that thought. The idea of her just _disappearing_, simply blinking out of existence like she was never there in the first place; it fucking terrified him.

After seeing it with his own eyes, he could completely understand why Deku had been so upset and concerned the first time. He also felt even more like an asshole for not completely believing him and taking her to Aizawa right away. Even though they knew nothing about the quirk, or how it worked, Katsuki was sure her flickering a second time(or at all) wasn't a good sign. Especially if she wasn't going back to her time, or even _world_.

Nervous energy was rolling off Izuku in waves right next to him, but it wasn't nearly as bad as it had been last night. He was holding his chin, staring at the floor intently and muttering under his breath, too quietly for Katsuki to hear. Not that the blonde was trying to understand the word vomit the nerd was currently spewing. Izuku probably had a million theories about what could be happening to Kana.

The door to the teachers lounge slid open and in walked the familiar form of their homeroom teacher for the past three years. He was wearing his usual black garb and gray scarf-like capture weapon.

"Problem children," He muttered as a way of greeting before he closed the door behind him. "Why am I not surprised."

"Aizawa-sensei!" Izuku said with a relieved sigh as he shot out of his chair.

"Shouta!" Kana nearly shrieked suddenly, scambling off his lap and running towards the perpetually tired looking man. He only raised an eyebrow and squatted down to her level, but before he could say anything Kana bowed. "I'm sorry for screaming at you yesterday! Daddy told me you're finding a way to send me home!"

Aizawa seemed surprised Kana knew his name, and Katsuki could understand why considering her reaction to him yesterday. But instead of commenting on that, instead he ruffled her hair and stood. "It's alright." he said to Kana before redirecting his attention to Katsuki. The blonde knew from the look on Aizawa's face that he already knew why they were there, or at least had an idea.

Katsuki didn't want to think about what that meant.


	7. Cause and Effect

In the blink of an eye, the destruction that had been surrounding him only moments before vanished, leaving him standing in an unfamiliar store. He jolted in shock at the sudden change of environment. One second he was standing next to Izuku in a near-levelled building with sirens and sobs wailing in the background and the next he was standing in a completely different place all by himself. The old woman had used her quirk on him, he knew that, but the trip was so quick and seamless that he could hardly believe he had been sent eleven years in the past. He had been expecting a flash, or a bang or something, yet there was nothing but a change in scenery to indicate anything happened at all. But, then again, he had no prior experience with time travel to compare it to, who the fuck was he to say what was normal and what wasn't?

Katsuki took a deep breath of fresh air through his nose, letting it ease the pain in his lungs from breathing in so much smoke and looked around. He was still in a flower shop, that was obvious, but the way it was set up was different than the one he had just been in. Just from the isle he appeared in, he could tell this one looked newer and much less homely than the one back in his time, but then this one hadn't turned into ground zero to a devastating villain attack. No smoke or dust lingered in the air from the explosions that went off, no dirt from destroyed potted plants and bags of soil covered the ground and no trampled pink flowers to remind him of how he almost lost his daughter, _again._ Everything was neat, clean and calm even.

He knew right away that Kana was no longer here.

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Katsuki steeled himself for the task at hand. He had to find Kana now that she was no longer in the shop. He didn't know what time she had been sent back or how long after that he followed her, but he knew one thing: There was no way she wondered off without anyone noticing her and knowing something was wrong. She was a four-year-old girl walking around without her parents, probably fucking crying and covered in dirt. If anyone walked past that and didn't think something was up, they were complete fucking morons. He had to check with the shopkeeper, first. They were the most likely to have seen her and because he wasn't around to get her, they probably called the heroes in the vicinity. Katsuki just needed to know which agency they called.

"Oi!" Katsuki called, wandering around the shelves of plants and gardening tools alike as he looked for the front of the store. "Anybody fucking here?" He turned a corner and walked right into a person- or he would've if he hadn't been honing his reflexes for the past fourteen years. Quickly stepping to the side, his arm shot out to catch the young woman by the shoulder before she could topple over. The action caused a sharp pain to dance across his shoulder blade, but he did his best to ignore it. If he could still move his arm, he was fine for the time being.

Pushing the thought from his mind, he focused back on the person he bumped into. Katsuki didn't know what he had been expecting to happen when the woman looked up, but having her scream wasn't it. The woman stumbled backward and landed on the ground, her eyes trained on him, wide with terror and it took Katsuki a moment to register that he wasn't the number two hero here and another moment to realize what he looked like and after that, he could understand why she looked so scared of him. To others, he was just a man that definitely wasn't a pro hero, covered in dust, dirt and blood that had come out of nowhere. He probably looked like some thug after a back-alley brawl.

_Well, shit_. He hadn't thought about that.

"Hey, hey, hey, it's okay." Katsuki crouched down to her level with his hands held out in a peaceful gesture, using what Kana had called his _hero-voice_. "I'm not going to hurt you, alright? I'm a pro hero." When she didn't move, still eyeing him distrustfully, he slowly moved his hand to his pocket to pull out his wallet and show her his hero licences. It felt like overkill, but he didn't need her calling the police when he left because she thought he was a villain or some other shit. He made it a point to cover his real name with his thumb as he held it up.

"I-I've never seen you before," she said quietly as he helped her from the ground. God, he really hated dealing with civilians even after years of being a hero.

"Not from here," he grumbled, already feeling annoyed at wasting the time. "You know which way the entrance it?" She nodded and pointed, "Then, if that's all, there's somewhere I have to be." Then he walked away, ignoring her protests and refusing to give her his hero name. Katsuki knew it was kinda rude, necessary, but rude all the same. There were only so many manners Kana could sweet-talk him into using. He didn't care to be nice right now, he wanted to find her as soon as he can and get back to Izuku.

Katsuki found the shopkeeper tending to plants outside the store, and after going over the same procedure of _yes, I'm okay,_ And _no_ _I'm not a fucking villain,_ he found out that he arrived a whole day later than Kana and that she had been taken in by Best Jeanist's hero agency. Which was relieving and also pissed him off at the same time. She was safe at a hero agency, but she had been alone a whole day with heroes she didn't even know after a probably very traumatic event.

Kana was probably fucking terrified.

The thought made his blood boil. Why couldn't that old hag send him back to the very moment Kana had been sent back at. It would have made everything so much more simple. But then quirks were never fucking simple were they? Of course, everything had to be done the hard way.

Swallowing his anger, he resisted storming his way down the crowded streets to Best Jeanist's hero agency that very second. He needed to change before he could do that though, for more than one reason. He needed to be more inconspicuous, people in the streets were staring at him and not in the way he was used to, probably close to calling the police. Also, showing up to get Kana while he had blood all over him wasn't a great idea, no matter how much he wanted to see her.

Katsuki rushed into the first store that sold clothing and grabbed a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt to change into, along with a package of disinfectant wipes. He slammed the items down at the checkout, startling the cashier and pulling out his credit card before he remembered it wouldn't work because his account didn't even exist yet.

"Fucking hell," He muttered, digging through his wallet for any spare cash he had on hand.

"A-are you okay, sir?" the cashier asked warily, eyeing his injuries. "S-should I call a hero? Or maybe an ambulance?"

"I'm_ fine_." he seethed, shooting a glare at the other man.

The man at the till watched him with a frown, unconvinced that Katsuki was actually fine and not just saying that. His injuries weren't as bad as they looked, after years of being a hero, he got good at telling which injuries needed immediate medical attention and which ones were mostly superficial.

Katsuki had almost counted up enough change when he heard a voice he hadn't heard in years outside of old news clips and documentaries. He almost thought he was imagining things at first, his hearing was never that great after all, but the voice spoke again, this time it was much closer.

Katsuki nearly froze in shock, but slowly he managed to turn around.

"All Might?" he choked out, nearly losing the grip on his wallet.

The former symbol of peace smiled at him, very little surprise showing in his piercing blue eyes, almost like he had been expecting him to show up. "Hello, young Bakugou." he said with a chuckle, "although, I guess you aren't so young anymore."

For a moment, Katsuki didn't speak. He just stared at Toshinori, taking in the sight of the thin, frail and very _alive_ man. It wasn't that Katsuki didn't know he was still alive in this time, he just hadn't taken the time to think about it. All he had been thinking about was getting his daughter back, never once did he think he would see Toshinori again. Yet here he was.

He opened his mouth to speak but immediately shut it. He needed to be careful with what he said. He didn't want to mess with the future. Even if a simple warning to the man could very well prevent his death. Even though Katsuki wanted to, so fucking much, he knew he couldn't.

"Mind lending me some cash? My card doesn't fucking work here." he settled for saying, pushing the words past the lump in his throat and ignoring the fact that the older man didn't seem surprised in the least to see him. This wasn't the time to get all emotional. He needed to find Kana. He wanted his daughter back.

Toshinori chuckled again. "No, I suppose it wouldn't."

After leaving the store in silence and finding a public washroom, Katsuki changed and scrubbed as much blood and grime from his body as he could until he deemed himself semi-decent enough not to draw attention while in the streets. He also used this time to calm down and mentally prepare himself for the next little while. It was surreal seeing All Might again after so many years. He almost thought this was some mix between a nightmare and a fantasy, first Kana getting thrown through time and then meeting Toshinori again. There was so much he still had left to say to the man, but then again, he knew he couldn't.

Katsuki took a deep breath and splashed some water on his face, staring at his exhausted reflection in the mirror. He ran a finger down the scar above his eyebrow and closed his eyes. remembering the gentle caress of Kana's hand and the worried look in her emerald eyes as she asked if he was okay. He needed to focus. He was here to find Kana. She needed him.

Taking one last deep breath, Katsuki pushed through the door and approached the bench where the retired hero sat. He was still surprised Toshinori hadn't asked what had happened, but if knowing future events before you should was really that bad, he supposed All Might would know not to pry. That didn't mean _Katsuki _couldn't ask questions.

"You didn't look surprised to see me. That mean you know why I'm here?" he asked. Katsuki knew the old hag had said he shouldn't interact with anyone, but if people he knew had already seen Kana and knew who she was and where she came from, there was no point in sneaking around. At least that made it so much easier.

"You came to find your daughter," Toshinori stated simply, standing up to walk with him.

"Yeah," Katsuki grunted, keeping an eye on the street signs and using his memory to find Best Jeanist's agency. "Does that mean you met her?"

The older man shook his head, "No, I didn't have the chance. I was actually coming back from the police station when I ran into you. We were searching through the quirk database for a time-related quirk to send her back with, but I suppose you already have a way back if you're here."

"Wait," Katsuki said, halting in his steps. "You said 'we'. Do you mean U.A? Is that where Kana is?" That didn't make sense. Why the hell would she be there?

"Yes, my boy." All Might said, "That's where we took her when she appeared here yesterday. She's with you, actually."

He shook his head in confusion. "No, that can't be fucking right. If she's with me-" Toshinori made a face, it reminded him of the face Izuku made when he was making fun of him after something he said. "You know what I fucking mean." Katsuki grumbled, "If she was with me, why the hell don't I remember that?"

Toshinori seemed to consider this as they started walking again. "I don't know." he admitted, "It would make sense that you remember that. My first guess would be quirk-related side-effects, but don't take my word for it."

Katsuki groaned and ran a hand through his hair. "God, I'm so fucking done with this time travel shit," he groused. "Let's just go,"

* * *

"So, what you two are telling me is that you somehow managed to screw up the future." Aizawa summarized with a tired sigh, looking more exasperated than worried. Deku cringed and nodded his head sheepishly. Katsuki, however, shot a glare at the man, irritated at his less-than-delicate response to a situation that was causing him way more fucking anxiety than he knew how to handle. Yes, he royally fucked up, he knew that now, but he didn't come to Aizawa to have it shoved in his face, he came to fix his mess. Still, Katsuki grunted in confirmation, looking away because he wasn't _wrong. _He may be pissed, but that didn't mean he had a _right _to be angry. But the fact that Aizawa wasn't all that worried made Katsuki calm down slightly as well.

Katsuki glanced across the room where Kana sat at Midnight's desk colouring leisurely with a green crayon, blonde curls falling over her face as she leaned over the page. Her lips were tipped in a soft smile as she explained her drawing to the older woman. Midnight picked up a purple crayon and wrote something he couldn't see on her paper, it caused Kana to giggle and throw her arms up. Katsuki felt an unfamiliar ache in his chest at the sight, but he couldn't decide whether it was good or bad.

He looked away, focusing back on the man in front of him.

"Luckily," Aizawa began again, shoving his hands into his pockets, "that doesn't necessarily mean the damage is irreversible. If it were, Kana would've disappeared already."

Katsuki's shoulder's slumped in relief, most of the tension that had been building up inside him since the moment he woke up leaving his body all at once. His eyes once again found Kana, her arms moved around her animatedly as she mimicked what looked like punches and explosions. He remembered her rambling on about a dream she had last night as they left the dorms earlier. She must be telling Midnight about them now.

"That's good, right? It means we can fix it." Izuku said quickly, standing up, drawing Katsuki's attention back to the problem at hand.

Aizawa tipped his head in a short nod. "In theory, yes,"

Katsuki ripped his eyes away from Kana and stared at Aizawa with bewilderment, "Hold up," he said, slowly as if he was trying to comprehend what he just heard. "What the fuck do you mean _in theory_?" He repeated, angrily. "Are you saying there's a chance that I fucked up for good and no matter what we do she's going to just-what _cease to exist_ anyway?" Katsuki shot up, a furious snarl masking the panic and confusion that he could feel growing in his chest. His hands shot to his head, carding them none-too-gently through his hair as he resisted blowing anything up.

Why the fuck was he so _stupid_? In the span of less than a day, he managed to fuck up the future-_Kana's_ future just because he stubbornly insisted she was from an alternate timeline or some shit. He was so far in denial that he couldn't see the truth when it was right in front of him and because of that, she was going to disappear. He knew it was his fault. It was clear now. His decision to keep Izuku at a distance and his feeling to himself was the reason for all of this. He wanted Izuku to have better, and that was _killing_ Kana.

Katsuki didn't notice he was hyperventilating until he saw Deku standing in front of him and holding his shoulders, telling him to _breathe_. The lightheaded-ness that was barely noticeable before came crashing back at him and he almost stumbled forward, but Deku's steel grip on his shoulders kept him in place. He took a deep breath and finally managed to right himself again.

"You good, Kacchan?" Izuku asked, releasing his shoulders and searching his eyes. The worried look on his face didn't make him angry, surprisingly.

"_Shit_\- yeah. Yeah, I'm fine." Katsuki took another deep breath and shut his eyes for a moment. He had no idea what came over him. He felt so angry and helpless that he kind of just _exploded_, and not in the way he was used to. Opening his eyes again, he sought out Kana across the room. She was fine. She was still there. Everything was going to be okay. Feeling calmer, he chanced a look at their teacher who had been oddly silent the whole time he had been freaking out.

Aizawa raised an unimpressed eyebrow, but Katsuki swore he saw a flash of empathy in those cold eyes. He wasn't sure how he felt about that, but instead of commenting on it, he stepped away from Izuku and plopped himself back in the chair.

"Are you done?"

Katsuki shot a short glare at Aizawa but nodded anyway.

"Now, if you let me finish instead of assuming the worst we can figure out what went wrong and fix it." he began, "Supposing something really is wrong and not just effects of the quirk."

Izuku opened his mouth to talk, but Aizawa raised his hand to shush him and glared at him. "Let me finish," Deku bit his lip to keep from blurting out his own thoughts and nodded, sitting back in his seat. Katsuki was grateful. He really wasn't in the mood to hear Deku's rambling about how there _is something wrong I just know it, but more_ than that, he didn't think he could handle hearing him so worried when he didn't even know the full truth. That Kana wasn't just one of his friends' kids', but his own daughter. A daughter he hadn't even had yet. Fuck. Fuck. _Fuck_.

"You said she 'flickered' correct?" Katsuki jerked his head in a quick nod. "And you're certain it's not just the quirk going through its natural progression and she's going back to her own time?" Another nod. Aizawa sighed.

"I've never encountered a quirk that had the ability to change the natural flow of time, but if what you say is true, then we can assume that something happened to change the course of history. Her presence here, in general, is enough to mess things up. Her parents knowing of her future existence before they were supposed to could also directly affect the moment that first decided her existence." He said, looking right at Katsuki who tensed under his intense gaze. "Decisions are another factor. Her appearance in this time affects the decisions and actions you would have taken had she not come here. I'd ask if there was something that happened that could've affected the future, but from what you said earlier, Bakugou, I think you already know what happened."

The blonde swallowed thickly, thinking back to the moment he decided he really would give up on Izuku. That was when it happened, isn't it? It wasn't a coincidence when the other boy barged into his room claiming Kana was disappearing. She had been fading from existence because of a decision he made... and she was going to keep fading unless they did something about it. Until _he_ did something about it.

"Of course, this is still all just speculation; theory." Aizawa started again. "Time is a tricky thing. Until we find the person responsible for this, assuming that the person who sent her back exists in our current timeline, we won't know for sure if anything we do will work or even be necessary."

Katsuki wanted to believe that it really was just the effects of the quirk wearing off on her, but he knew that it wasn't. Yet he found, deep down in the darkest part of his heart, where the self-loathing and guilt dwelled, a thought that made his stomach churn: _Maybe it would be better if he just let her disappear_. Kana was never supposed to exist anyway. It must've been a mistake the universe made, and this was his chance to correct it.

The thought felt like a stab straight into his chest, ripping and tearing at his heart, yet instead of pain, it only made Katsuki feel numb. Just empty nothingness spreading throughout his entire body and leaving him feeling detached as if he wasn't connected to his body anymore.

"For now, we'll have to be more cautious with who Kana interacts with. Who all has seen her?"

Izuku grimaced. "Everyone in our class," he admitted, balling his hands at his sides.

Aizawa just sighed again. "Okay, just try to keep it that way, then. Now, I have some urgent phone calls to make. Get out of here, you two." he said in an obvious dismissal, turning away from Katsuki to motion at Midnight.

Izuku jumped out of his chair, following swiftly after their teacher. "Wait, Aizawa-sensei!" he called, "What are we supposed to do? I know you said it could just be the quirk wearing off, but what if it isn't? What if she just-"

"Calm down, Midoriya."

"But-"

Aizawa held up a hand again. "We're working on it. That's what the phone calls are for." he said, not bothering to elaborate.

Izuku blushed and looked away, obviously embarrassed about his outburst. "Right," he mumbled. Just then Kana came running at them, holding up one of her many drawings proudly and flashing a bright grin. Katsuki avoided looking in her eyes.

"I made them for you! Do you like it?" she asked, placing the pages on his lap and then handing Deku a few. "It's me, you and Deku!"

Katsuki glanced down, taking the paper in his hands and staring at it. There was a drawing of him in a black and orange crayon wearing what looked to be his hero costume, Deku with a green, black and red crayon, in his costume, and Kana in the middle.

"Yeah, kid." he tried to agree, but his voice sounded flat. "They're great."


End file.
